One Day in Social Studies Class
by Lily-chan818
Summary: What if you came upon your fate in a school textbook? Knowing their ends aren't pleasant, Kagome seeks to change them for the better. However, fate isn't easy to triffle with. Will she succeed or be forced to suffer the fate the book foretold?
1. That Day in Social Studies Class

***A/n : Eiya, gomen nasai, gomen nasai! *bows profusely* Okay, as some of my fans may have noticed I stopped writing this fanfic at the beginning of this year, and I really owe you guys an apology; I'm genuinely sorry. I won't make an excuse for my tardy response, but since some of you wanted to know what happened, I'll tell...In all honesty, I really don't know what happened. It started with my end of the year finals, but during the last month of school I really wasn't myself. I was constantly fatigued and rather depressed for reasons unknown to myself even, and after the time passed, I couldn't continue writing this; I don't know whether or not it was out of embarrassment or otherwise...I've spent countless hours staring at an empty page with my cursor flashing...Even now I try writing my original stories, I can't do it; my plot is solid, but it's not alive. It's like all the emotion is wiped away from it; it's an odd sensation...I'm no longer the same person I was last year when I began this story. Gomen! I am truly sorry to those of you who looked forward to this, and I didn't pull through with you guys. This time around I'll try to keep things steady (no more excuses!), and I thank those of you who will continue along...Even though...yeah.

To those who have no clue what the hell I'm talking about, well this might make more sense. I go by Mitzuki, and this is my second take of this fanfic that made me happy despite all the crap I deal with on a daily basis. I stopped for a bizarre reason even I'm trying to figure out, and I hope starting anew will help my mind go back to before. I'm just a really busy freshman in high school. :P Sorry to have jabbered so long, but I sincerely thank those of you who continue on to read. :)

On a final note, this is a re-write of the original One Day in Social Studies Class, and I hope it serves to your liking!

*Disclaimer : I really don't own much of anything! Much less the mind who created Inuyasha! Not mine! Nope! :3

One Day in Social Studies Class...

Chapter 1 : That Day in Social Studies

The day was wearing on, and Ms. Ito, the history teacher, stared blankly at the class trying to grasp onto a vague detail that told her what class she was teaching. Gazing at the clock, it took her a few brief moments to realize when she was: the end of her work day! Oh, how the hours of teaching accumulate and bear semblance to the others! _What is this class learning again? _"I'm sorry class! I'm a little scatter-brained today," Ito laughed nervously as she saw that all of her students seemed to shoot back glares of 'aren't you always?'. "Anyways...Take out your 'Tales of the Feudal Era' book and turn to page seventy-three," she continued as she opened her copy to the corresponding page.

Lowering her glasses to the tip of her nose, she sat on her disk, and began to read.

Meanwhile, Miss Kagome Higurashi, who was supposedly inflicted with many ailments and illnesses, showed up today looking perfectly healthy, and wasn't paying any attention what-so-ever. Why should she? All they were covering was the Feudal Era of Japan. No big deal, to her anyway. After all, Miss Higurashi wasn't ill in the slightest, but instead she spent her time in the Feudal Era. Traveling with a half-demon, a lecherous monk, a demon slayer, a fire-cat, and an eccentric, young kitsune was all a part of her life. However, I'm sure you know all about that.

The words droned on in her mind though her teacher's voice wasn't that of an aged man, who barely did more than mumble. She twiddled her fingers under the sanctuary of her desk as she pretended to pay attention to the voice that she blocked out in the background, but it was a fruitless effort when one name caught her attention: Inuyasha.

_Wait, what? Inuyasha..._Kagome focused in on the page she had absent-mindedly been staring at, and sure enough, it was titled "The Tales of Inuyasha."

_Inuyasha's in here? Well it does make sense, considering I've seen the majority of what this class taught first-hand...We really did affect what happened back then. Wait! If this tells what we're doing now, does it tell us how our adventures will end? Or if we'll defeat Naraku? Will Miroku outlive his Wind Tunnel? Will Sango and Miroku get married...What about...What about me and Inuyasha?__ I shouldn't ask about such things, and besides, maybe whoever wrote it lied so I wouldn't have an advantage...Or maybe they did it so I could? I'm confused...I'll just read it when I get home._

In its ever-so-familiar tone, the bell rang, and all the students rushed to shove everything into their bags and leave the room as quickly as possible.

"Oh, I'm sorry guys, I guess we spent too long on the last tale. This is one of my all-time favorites, so kids, wait up!" Ms. Ito regained everyone's attention, "Read through the first part over the weekend, I want your opinions Monday morning!" Turning to Kagome, she laughed, "Miss Higurashi, don't you find it funny that you _might_ share your name with the main female protagonist? And wasn't the name of that man you brought during the festival Inuyasha if I recall?"

Kagome was taken aback, but coolly replied, "It's a strange coincidence; our parents were caught up in the tale as well it seems..." _That wasn't the worst excuse I could have come up with..._

"Well, I can understand why! Oh, didn't that young man have silver hair and gold eyes like the namesake? Very cute, Miss Higurashi." Ms. Ito smiled a sweet smile at visualization of the couple. "Don't forget to read it over the weekend!"

"Alright, Ms. Ito, see you Monday!"

Exiting the classroom, Kagome felt her knees shake underneath her, but she kept on walking. It was an eerie feeling: everything she had gone through these last three years and the rest to come was all written inside this book. Clutching the ragged, abused textbook to her chest, she thought, _Something feels wrong..._

Like all students who loiter aimlessly in the hall, Kagome realized she'd be late to her next class (in this case biology) if she didn't appear inside the room within seconds, and ran to her destination before the bell rang.

Despite her desperate need to pay attention, Kagome spaced and glared at the clock all day. Oh, how slowly it moved. Seconds seemed to pass like hours, minutes like days, and hours like entire weeks. It's not every day that you find out your fate in a school textbook.

She watched as the final second reach the 12, and her blissful savior's _ding _rang. Stuffing the remainder of her stuff in her bag, Kagome ran home without a second thought regarding school.

After greeting her mother, Kagome ran upstairs, shut her door, threw her things down, and plopped down on her bed with her book in her hand. "Okay, Kagome, you can do this."

She turned to page seventy-three in her book, and began reading.

_The Tales of Inuyasha_

_By the monk, demon slayer, and kitsune._

_Inuyasha, the protector, the glue that kept our mismatched group together. Somehow. I'm not sure how we made it. A monk, a demon slayer, a young kitsune, a fire cat, and most importantly, the time-traveling miko and Inuyasha, the half dog demon. An interesting combination, right? Well, this story is written in several points of view as well. We couldn't get the point across otherwise..._

_It all began 60 years ago with Inuyasha and Kikyou, the Sacred Jewel's protecter..._

Kagome read for hours while torrents of emotion overwhelmed and consumed her. This was no lie, no hoax; and she could even tell who contributed what parts and what was pieced together, but one small fact troubled her, nothing was written by neither Inuyasha nor herself. Nothing there was theirs, and whatever had occurred before Shippo's arrival was shaky at best.

"Kagome! Dinner!" Mrs. Higurashi yelled.

_Dang, it was just getting to the Band of Seven..._

Being the active little brother he was, Souta rambled on and on about school and sports, and Kagome just smiled at his simplicity. When one's life wasn't constantly affected by life or death situations, it was all the more simple; a simplicity, by this point, Kagome slightly wished she possessed.

Finishing her food as quickly as she could, the young miko asked to be excused and walked up to her room to continue reading.

She had finished the first part that Ms. Ito had assigned long ago, but it didn't matter, she needed to know. Besides it was Friday, she didn't need to do all of her homework tonight, and it's not like she planned on sticking around until the next week; Inuyasha would have a fit.

Within the next two hours, Kagome managed to read up to where they were at now.

"Alright, Kagome, moment of truth..."

_And so, the final battle soon came. The battle that determined everything. _

_Inuyasha was in his casual battle stance with Tetsusaiga drawn with one hand, but we couldn't help but notice how tensed he was: his teeth were grinding, his eyes burning, and his grip on Tetsusaiga was tightening. He also had something to protect, the miko, the one he so desperately loved. She was standing beside him with her arrow nocked, ready to go. They both had the determination to survive this, alive. _

_The monk and the demon slayer were, too, side by side, both ready to fight. The slayer with her large boomerang bone, and the monk with his staff and sutras. Though we knew we weren't the impetus here, we were ready to back up the pair with as much as we had._

_Our other companions, the fire cat, the kitsune, and the demon slayer's younger brother, were not present; we requested them to stay with Kaede and the village. After we vanquished Naraku, demons would be rampant, someone had to protect the village._

_The battle proceeded so quickly; it was all a blur. Neither of us, the demon slayer nor monk, completely knew what was going on at all times. We were in charge of the small-fry stray tenticles, odd demons, and so on._

_Eventually, when we were all weary and tired, the battle was over. Naraku's heart was destroyed by a combination of the miko's arrow and Tetsusaiga's backlash wave. The miko walked over, grabbed the remainder of the sacred jewel, purified it and pocketed it. She would fuse it and choose her wish later._

_As if we foresaw its occurrence, our attention turned to Inuyasha, our beloved hanyou, while the moment seemed to go in slow motion. He was bleeding from all sorts of wounds; he was probably protecting his love throughout it all, but this time it was different. Falling to the ground in a pool of his own blood, his love rushed over to him with tears brimming in her eyes._

_"Inuyasha? Wake up!" she knelt into the pool, and lifted his head into her lap. Begging, "Please, Inuyasha, you can't die now! We've been through too much, please, don't die on me..." _

_We were unable to do anything, we were frozen, all we could do is watch. Then we heard it, our hanyou spoke words that were barely audible, "I'm sorry...'Gome...I love you...Please don't cry..." That was it, he said it. The words no one thought they'd ever hear._

_The miko was hysterical, "How can I not cry? I love you, too! I'm crying because I love you, Inuyasha...Please don't leave me..."_

_A rare sight passed our gaze, he smiled, " 'Gome, thank you...That's all...I ever wanted to hear..."_

_"Inuyasha, don't you dare die on me! Please, I don't know what I'll do!" _

_"Promise me...You'll be...happy...okay? Forget...all...about me...if you have to..." his eyes were pleading with her._

_This left us silent, choke-less tears streaming down our faces. There was nothing we could do, it was their moment. _

_The miko couldn't respond, but our hanyou chose to say is last words, "I love you...always will...Tell the...others...my goodbyes as well...And...'Gome...I'm glad...last thing...I see...in...this...world...is...you..." Inuyasha, our hanyou, then closed his golden eyes, that were once so full of life, for the very last time._

_We both slid to our knees, we hadn't just witnessed that. We won, we got the last of the Sacred Jewel, but we hadn't won without compensation._

_Unveiling his right hand, the monk saw a normal hand; his life was saved, the curse was gone. At the cost of his best friend's life, and he couldn't help but choke back his heaving sobs as the sight of his friend's corpse and unscathed hand ran simultaneously and repetitively through his head._

_Meanwhile, the demon slayer just stared, she had seen so much death. Now that her younger brother had finally been retrieved, she lost another instead. He had protected them all, his life for their injury; the most foolish albeit noblest act._

_After what seemed hours, the remaining trio couldn't cry any longer, and they stayed in complete silence as respect for their fallen comrade._

_Picking up the hanyou and carrying his cold body on his back, the monk started to walk towards the village, and the two remaining followed. Smelling blood, the monk wished to recoil at the stench, but he couldn't. The miko drew Tetsusaiga, sheathed it, and drew it into her. It was all she had left of the one she had loved since the moment she laid eyes on him. She didn't know what she was going to do, and the miko didn't want anything more than his presence. One always tends to want what one could never have or behold again..._

_Kaede's village, which usually consisted of noise, peace, and gaity, drew upon them. As they sluggishly ventured into their familiar domain covered in blood, the townspeople stopped and watched in a taciturn, mourning silence. Though some still regarded the half demon as a nuisance, they all drew back in shock at the death of the one figure that had remained constant in their lives, the one who protected them._

_Kaede, the kitsune, and the demon slayer's little brother came out of the hut to investigate the abnormal silence, and they, too, were shaken at the thought._

_"Inuyasha's dead?" the kitsune broke the pregnant pause while tears welled up in his eyes._

_The monk nodded and laid the hanyou down. Soon, we decided, to prepare a resting place for our treasured fallen commrade._

_Unable to accept Inuyasha's fate, the kitsune violently pounded his small hands on the inexorable earth while shouting, "You big idiot, how could you go and die on us!" _

_Silently gliding over to him in her seemingly placid demeanor (though we knew she was the one who hurt the most), the young miko gently brought him up into her arms. Life as we knew it recoiled against our actions and made us pay a harsh retribution. Now all we could do was cling to something and pray it gave us solace._

_He had never received the opportunity to tell the hanyou that he loved him like a father, even an older brother at the very least; the miko and hanyou were his second parents. "Why'd he have to die?"_

_His question remained unanswered as no one could come to a resolve while everyone watching shed a few tears themselves._

_Though their mourning hadn't ended, the demon slayer and monk began to dig as close as they could to the Sacred Tree without disrupting the roots as it seemed an appropriate place; the place he had spent fifty years prior to our meeting, where it all began, where he first met the miko he died to protect, and where he, though absent-minded he sometimes appeared, would spend countless hours thinking of the troubles that had befallen not only himself, but us as well. _

_The funeral was held shortly afterwards, and not a sound nor wail could be heard. No one could cry anymore, no matter how much they felt they needed to. Holding onto Tetsusaiga, the miko remembered the locket she had given him, he'd be buried with that, but she'd be keeping Tetsusaiga, the one item he unsparingly prided in; the one item that should be wielded solely by him._

_Kaede placed a small simple marker rock with his name simply carved into it on top of his grave as she thought of his unceasing presence since her childhood. "May ye rest in peace, Inuyasha."_

_We all returned to Kaede's hut, and the corner where Inuyasha always sat was left vacant. Not only was the corner left vacant, but a part of us was missing as well; it had died right alongside him. Nothing would be the same; he was what brought us all together and what kept us there. _

_"So, what do ye plan to do now?" The elderly couldn't believe the recent events, that cocky, stubborn hanyou dying so easily at the hands of his fervent enemy._

_The miko was still covered in his dried blood, it was her constant painful reminder, and requested, "I want to wish the Sacred Jewel away. Gone."_

_No one objected, in fact it would probably be best if that were to happen. It was what had physically brought us together; now that what had mentally done so was gone, might as well end it all there._

_"Are..you going to stay?" the kitsune asked the miko, who was technically his adopted mother._

_"I'm sorry, I really don't think I can...I'm sorry, I just can't..." Newly found tears cascaded down her face._

_The kitsune immediately understood, if she were to stay, she'd be constantly reminded, and it would kill her inside. _

_"I understand, but don't forget about us? Alright? Promise me, please?" he begged while more tears fell._

_"I promise, I can't forget about any of you, no matter what, I won't. I love you all, and I'll miss you guys, really. I hope you all have a happy life. Inuyasha says farewell as well..." she sighed, this was getting hard._

_So we all said our painful farewells; we had, after all, let two people we cherished go in a single day. We saw her off to where we could, she left us with a 'pick-ture' of her and Inuyasha, and that was all we had left. _

_The years passed, and we all still visited Inuyasha's grave to talk to him, to tell him of our lives at present, just as we were sure she was._

_The monk and the demon slayer eventually married and had many children, the children's uncle carried on the family trade, demon slaying, while Kaede died after a long life, and the kitsune learned more tricks and eventually found himself a wife. Their endings were peaceful, and as we write this in our old age, we have no regrets besides the fact that we couldn't protect the golden couple from their undeserving fate. _

_What happened to the two in the end is unknown, and we fear we never will know..._

This was the end.

By now, Kagome was lamenting and uncontrollably bawling over the idea of her lost love. What if there really was a grave on shrine grounds? What if the marker had just been moved, or turned over? She didn't know, she didn't care. What she knew was that she wished for nothing but to go back to the Feudal Era, back to the hanyou she loved.

End of Chapter 1

***A/n : Mmm...This is my second time writing this, I think I like my newer style more. Stuff will be different (I'm talking plot, not wording), I swear, this was just a base I wanted to begin with again. If I had any obligations to any of you, please remind me; I swear I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Have any questions? Feel free to ask and I'll answer! Anyways, now that you've read, please review! To my newbies who read this cause it sounded like it wouldn't be the worst read you'd ever read, thank you! I'll appreciate any and all support I get (criticism is nice too...please no hard-core flames)! P.S. - I respond to all reviews personally or publicly on my fic if the same topic grows! ^_^ Thank you all for your time!

~Mitzuki-chan


	2. Laughter, the Cure of Sadness

***A/n : **Five reviews, it's certainly a start! I'd like to thank my reviewers! :) It's the last night I have of sheer solitude until I return to my hectic lifestyle (again...haha, it's what I get for wanting my bachelors at 20...), and I figured I'd work on this! On with the chapter! ^o^

***Disclaimer : **I can't draw! At all! Certainly Inuyasha couldn't be mine! XD

**One Day in Social Studies Class**

**Chapter 2 : Laughter, the Cure of Sadness**

Scrambling herself together, Kagome scrawled a brief note in her notebook and left it on her desk, which would predominately distinguish itself in the wake of others, to tell her mother where she had gone. She sucked back the despair that caused her chest to heave in a rampant sobbing throb while tears cascaded down her face. Unable to control her emotions, she ran down the stairs with the ominous textbook in hand and rushed outside to where the brisk air met her continually-dampening cheeks and eyes harshly. Vision beginning to blur, Kagome bolted to the place where she needn't her sight to navigate: the well.

The young priestess bit her lip while the reaped consternations the book wrought built upon each other; images flew threw her head, and she tried to deny all she foresaw but she couldn't. It would be impossible to settle with her qualms unless she saw the one person her mind seldom drifted from. Jumping into the well, her heart ached as it felt the warm sensation envelop her; it was the same sensation she pleasured herself in while she resided in her love's strong arms. Things couldn't continue like this...The future had to be changed, but Kagome knew that that would be no simple task. It would cost its toll, its struggles, and its pain; but she was prepared to confront such things if it meant his survival.

Lights fading, she knew she was on the other side of the well, and she chucked the book up and out the well to avoid climbing with something in hand. She then escalated the vines with a foreboding feeling constantly nagging at her. What if no familiar face came to greet her with its cocky, pleased smile? What if the book had lied? What if...?

"Kagome," Inuyasha's voice carried over to her as he bounded over to her in leaps and she remained silent as shivers ran down her spine. "Why are you crying...?" His tone was soothing when he chose to worry, and as she watched his capable arms pulled her up from the remainder of the distance into his lap.

A meer glance at his face brought on a sigh of relief along with final tears which she unladed, and the hanyou was unsure how to react. Never before had she come to him crying for reasons unknown; usually he had done something stupid or reckless, but this was different... "Kagome, what...happened?"

Dabbing the wet spots from her face, Kagome sniffled, "That's the problem; something is supposed to happen, but it hasn't happened yet."

Inuyasha's eyes shown with a childish bemusement while he spoke, "So you're telling me you're crying over something that _hasn't _happened yet? Why are you crying over something that's supposed to happen? If it's really that bad, shouldn't you just stop it while you can?"

"But I can't bear the thought of that something happening, and I don't know if I can prevent it..." Kagome sighed as she clung to his warmth.

Sighing, Inuyasha replied obviously more patient than he had been in previous situations, "What is it?"

Kagome retracted her arms from him, drew herself away, and looked him clearly in the eyes as she answered, "I don't want you to die." Her voice shook on the last word, but she managed.

"Wait, do you know something I don't? What you have a bad dream or something? Remember, I'm not that easy to kill off," Inuyasha reminded her with that carefree albeit arrogant attitude that she knew and loved.

Walking to meet the book where she had left it abandoned by the rim, she picked it up and handed it to him. "You can read, right?"

"Yeah...My mother taught me a little before she died, but Kagome, there's nothing written in this 'bo-ok'. It's all blank." He returned the exuberant mass back to her as he waited for further elaboration.

"But I can read it! It told me Miroku, Sango, and Shippo wrote it, and that you died during the battle with Naruku!"

Inuyasha couldn't help but ask, "Did I win?"

Astonished at his response, she answered, "Yes..."

An evil glint appeared in Inuyasha's eyes as he retorted, "Well, I don't really see the problem. I mean, I kill him, you get the jewel, you can be 'normal' like you've always wanted, and..."

"STOP, JUST STOP!" Kagome screamed, "You insensitive jerk! BAKA! You can go die if you wanna...See if I care," Kagome's eyes widened as she realized what she had just said, and silent tears ran down her face in turn. _How could I have said...something so cruel?_

"Kagome..." Inuyasha started as he lifted her onto his lap. "It's okay, Kagome, I'm sorry...You want me to stay around, right?" She nodded 'yes' in his chest before he continued, "Well then I ain't going anywhere."

Muffled by his entirety, she muttered, "I don't care if we kill Naraku, or if I get the jewel! I don't even want to be normal anymore! After this, how I could I go back without regrets? It doesn't mean a thing to me if a single one of us dies! We went into this together, we're coming out of it the same way!"

"It'll be okay 'Gome," Inuyasha tried to comfort her as he stroked her hair, "I'm not going anywhere; I'll stay by your side as long as you want me to."

Deeply inhaling, she looked up into his golden eyes and asked, "Since when did you start being nice to me?"

"Since you decided to come up to me crying while I was in a good mood," he smiled as he returned her gaze.

"A good mood...in you? What brought that up?" _Inuyasha in a good mood? Did the apocalypse just occur and I missed it?_

"Thinking."

Kagome snorted, "You use you head for that?"

Inuyasha's eyes flared up with a fiery passion that he hadn't felt since Kagome's departure for her home. "Wench, what do you mean by that?"

Laughing, she retaliated with a smirk, "You know what I meant, dog boy!"

"Oh yeah? I thought you said that I didn't think!" Inuyasha returned as he bemusedly watched the girl still settled in his lap.

Unable to contain herself any longer, Kagome burst into laughter and Inuyasha's boyish grin lit up his face. "Inuyasha, could we go sit in the tree?"

Nodding, Inuyasha took her up in his arms and jumped to his usual place in the tree. He sat down and situated her in his lap and muttered, " 'Gome, don't worry 'bout it. What'll happen will happen, but I'll be damned if I let you cry over someone like me."

Snuggling closer to him, she whispered, "Well whatever you do, don't die on me...I just don't want to let you go..."

Inuyasha placed his chin atop her head to let the nape of his neck reside near her face as he replied, "I won't leave until you tell me to. 'Kay Kagome? I'm here right now, and we'll solve tomorrow's problems tomorrow. Let's not tell the others 'bout this book thing..."

"Mmkay, night," Kagome mumbled as she drifted off into the world of slumber.

Left to his thoughts, Inuyasha soon slept as well, Kagome's warmth right there beside him.

**~The Next Morning~**

"Kagome," Inuyasha, the get-up-with-the-sun-earlybird, prodded at the girl still sleeping on his chest.

Shifting slightly, Kagome mumbled, "Five more minutes..."

"No," Inuyasha sternly relied. "It's still early, and I don't want the others to wake up before we get up..."

Kagome's eyes opened and saw his silver hair shine against the pale sunlight. Rubbling at her eyes in disbelief, she answered, "Alright fine, take me down, I have to get my stuff from home anyways..."

Without a response, he brought her back down to the ground below, and Kagome's eyes immediately fell upon the book that she had left forlorn on the ground. "I left that here...What if someone had found it?" _I'm hopeless...So careless..._

"But there's nothing written in there. No one here would have been able to read it anyways," Inuyasha persisted with what he had initially proclaimed the night before.

It finally hit her. "Wait, so you couldn't read it? Maybe they don't want any unfair advantages...Am I some sort of exception or something? Huh. Anyways, I should probably get back! I'll return a little later just as planned. Remember, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo, don't need to know about this!" Kagome summarized everything and stepped off the rim of the well and down it, disappearing with a blue glow.

Completely dumbstruck, Inuyasha just stood and stared at the place Kagome last dwelt. _What...exactly happened last night? It's a weird feeling...We sort of fought, but...And I...Was nice? _

**End of Chapter 2**

***A/n : **Now that that's done...Please review! I personally loathed the previous version of this chapter with all my being, and I hope it's better this time around! (I wonder if I will every be completely satisfied by my own work!) Kagome's reaction better seem more...realistic, too! I hope XD I did make a considerable difference from the previous version in plot as well, and I think this is a better choice. ;) By the way, I sincerely apologize if some words clump together! I type on the document manager so I can access it anywhere, but it does that sometimes when I save (and you guys might be surprised at how much I proof read & save)! o: If you catch one, tell me, I'll fix it (if it doesn't just give you guys a new one instead!) 0_o

**~Mitzuki-chan ^o^**


	3. Kami sama & Pastries

***A/n : **Eleven reviews for two chapters! Not bad at all :) Thank you all for your support! I'm sorry it took forever to update; school is a bitch at the moment...Too many projects and finals are coming up ^^; Though it disappoints me to say this, chances are, I won't update until the next break. Hope everyone had amazing halloweens and thanksgivings! :D Anyways, on with the chapter!

***Disclaimer : **Okay, I'm just putting this out there...But it'd be impossible for me to wonder "Why the hell are all the cute ones sempais?" at school if I owned Inuyasha. Happy? =sadly enough it's true...

**One Day in Social Studies Class**

**Chapter 3 : Kami-sama & Pastries!**

"Why are you permitting Kagome to tell Inuyasha of his death?" a servant asked of his master; a master so great in presence and stature that it was impossible for even its closest and most-trusted vassals to discover it's gender and appearance. Drifting down to Earth, his eyes followed the couple that were now separating themselves by five centuries.

Laughing, Kami-sama glanced back at him and replied in a bemused tone, "How many people have I allowed to travel through time?"

The vassal tried to count on his fingers before he gave up and answered in all honesty, "I have no clue...Not many from what I recall."

"Only a handful, and do you recall my ever not trusting these people's decisions?" Kami-sama smirked gaily while waiting for a response.

Trailing off, the servant continued, "No...You've always trusted them..."

"PRECISELY!" Kami-sama exclaimed in joy at the vassal's realization.

"So...if someone from the future found material that relates to their life in the past, you'd allow them to use it to the fullest extent?"

"Mmmhmm...You're starting to catch on. Were she to save the hanyou (unlike her former), chances are they would marry and create a whole new bloodline...which isn't essentially an issue. Besides, I have always wished to see this story end well." Though the appearance of his master couldn't be seen, he felt that a remorseful, hopeful smile was present in his master's aura. Though it seemed strange, a curse was inflicted upon Kami-sama: unable to change the will or fate of her creations; they had their own mind and fate was chosen by their decisions, lest free will would be genuinely impossible in mankind. However, the paths one may take may be seen, but as to where they wound up was unknown until the got there. Only to sit and watch: a dreadful fate.

A thoughtful aura surrounded him as a whisper reached his ear, "I hope they survive this time..."

~Back on Earth~

Emerging from the well, Kagome knew his nose would lead Inuyasha straight to the goods; yes, the freshly-baked pastries her mother had prepared! Racing over like any other dog, Inuyasha eyes widened and mouth salivated at the thought of eating whatever it was.

Inuyasha recognized the scent as something of the edible variety and he rushed Kagome up and into the house, slamming the door back with an anxious demeanor. At the ruckus, Mrs. Higurashi turned around and greeted."Oh, hi, Kagome, Inuyasha, I didn't think you'd be back so soon."

"I forgot my bag," Kagome simply answered. "Ooooooh, something smells good."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled, she was hoping someone would say that. "I hope so, it's a new recipe..."

The timer rang and Mrs. Higurashi grabbed her oven mitts, slid them on, and removed her pastries from the oven. Inhaling the scent, all three of them sighed at the wondrous smells produced.

"We'll all try some after they cool off, alright?" Mrs. Higurashi could barely wait herself; she'd been working on this recipe for a week or so now. "So, Kagome, why don't you go get your stuff packed?"

"Okay!" Kagome darted up the stairs to grab the obnoxious, yellow monstrosity.

Crouched down in a squat, Inuyasha stared with all intensity at the golden, glazed pastries that were just simply resting on the counter. His brow furrowed in desperation as he withheld himself from devouring them. Tearing him from his pasty-induced, a chuckling voice rang through, "Want to try some now?"

Shaking his head up and down rapidly, Mrs. Higurashi smirked at his impatience. "Alrighty, then!" she exclaimed as she pulled out a spoon to extract a considerable portion of one of the pastries. Handing it to him, she warned, "Here, careful, it might be hot."

Disregarding her warning, Inuyasha chomped and slurped it down, deeply inhaled, and let his face fall into a melted expression of sheer pleasure. The fact that it was scalding didn't bother him in the least; not when the bread was light, reasonably flaky, and buttery while the creamy interiors melted in his mouth.

Curious of the validity of his reaction, Mrs. Higurashi blew on and tasted a bit herself and thought, _Wow, I outdid myself this time..._

Kagome came down hefting the enormous, ever expanding bag. "Oooh can I try some?" Her mother cut a piece for her daughter and gave it to her, hoping that the reaction would be positive. To her glee, Kagome extolled, "Wow Mama, it's amazing!"

Inuyasha nodded in compliance and continued staring at the pastries; praying that he would receive more to eat. Shoveling a bunch into a box, she handed them to Kagome and fervently suggested, "Give them to your friends, I want reactions!"

~Back in the Feudal Era~

"These are amazing! You're telling me your mother made these, Kagome?" Sango marveled as she held the pastry in front of her. Squeezing it, she jumped at the red goo bursting out onto her hand; laughing at herself, she stuffed the exploded goody in her mouth and licked the rest of the berry substance off her palm.

"Mmhmm..." Kagome added while savoring her own.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, had already eaten several, and was eyeballing Shippo's. Extending his clawed hand to grab it, Shippo realized malicious Inuyasha's intentions upon his pastry and pulled his half-eaten morsel back. Though, when it comes to food, Inuyasha won't take "no" for an answer. Getting up, he charged at the young kitsune who ran for his dear life; trying and failing to eat amidst the chaos.

Flustering, Kagome's face produced an unfavorable shade of red, and she yelled, "Inuyasha! Shippo! Stop it!"

Yet, despite Kagome's angry commands, the two continued to run around in circles around the three, and Miroku took the opportunity to snatch Shippo's pastry. Jamming it in his mouth as fast as possible, the hanyou and youkai immediately stopped and looked at each other giving the look of "truce-till-we-kick-his-ass?" Once Miroku saw their evil glares, he got up and stared running, his robes flailing behind him.

Rolling around, the girl laughed at the sight before them. An evil glint appeared in their eyes, and the countdown signal began, "Okay, one!" Completely oblivious, thte guys continued to circle. "TWO, THREE!" Thrusting their legs outward, Inuyasha and Miroku, who were caught completely unaware, unceremoniously fell flat on their faces.

"Now, now boys, stop fighting over food," Sango tsked with laughter shining through her voice.

"Yeah," Kagome's voice cracked in amusement at the figures glaring at them.

The guys turned to each other and smirked, swearing an unspoken oath: time to get the girls.

Inuyasha went chasing after Kagome, who was caught within a few brief seconds. Tumbling forwards thanks to the momentum present, the two skidded and rolled forwards; leaving Kagome falling hard on Inuyasha, who grunted at impact. After sharing a few moments of awkwardness, they errupted laugher; clutching at their sides in painful pleasure.

Continuing their gaiety, the two watched the other four with morbid amusement.

Miroku was chasing his beloved Sango, and as his speed matched Inuyasha, he quickly had her enveloped in his arms. Within seconds, Sango's cheeks turned beet red, and she smashed her fist into the side of his face, leaving a red imprint as the remainder. Throwing herself from his grasp she walked away, muttering something about "that fucking pervert..."

Chasing his friend Kirara, Shippo jumped on her back and wrapped his arms around her neck. Kirara, who wasn't fond of his weight trying on her smaller form, chose to transform into her full glory. With one swift motion, she bucked him off her back, and put one paw across his chest to pin him to the ground. Making a noise similar to "heh", her eyes glinted with victory and everyone (including the young, pinned kitsune) broke out into another fit of laughter.

_I hope these good times will be able to last..._

End of Chapter 3

**A/n : **Haha! And that ends chapter three! I hope it served to your pleasure :) See you guys 'round Christmastime! Now that you've read, please review! :D Haha, I guess I forgot to save, but I came back to check because I just realized I wrote something stupid...however I also came to notice that that sentence of idiocy never was published! To my despair, my bad grammar and misspellings were present! Soo...sorry, it's not as good as it was earlier... o:

~Mitzuki-chan


	4. Confession

***A/n : **Ahaha, am I the only one not getting email alerts for anything? It's driving me nuts! Anyways, I'm writing this before I get to work because...well...school work is annoying and driving me insane...I won't study well unless I do this ^^; Thank you all for reviewing, and to my anon reviewer, if you do actually have a user, please let me know so I can respond properly. Otherwise, I'd post here but it would add a lot of words to my already-deceitful word count! XD I'm sorry to all, but this is a shortie chappy, but I'm sure it'll make some of you smile at least. :)

***Disclaimer : **Small, little girl sniffles, "Doggie not mine..."

**One Day in Social Studies Class**

**Chapter 4 : Confession**

Carefully extracting herself from Shippo's clinging grasp, Kagome tucked the kitsune in amongst her blankets. Avoiding the creaking floor boards in the hut, Kagome tip-toed and managed to accomplish her goal of escaping without waking anyone up.

The thin waning crescent hung in the clear sky, glowing eeriely at all those who dwelt upon its wake while the stars shone with a brilliant, untainted light. Crickets chirped, owls wooed, and the sounds of the babbling creak impregnated the crisp, stagnant, winter air. Shivering, she glanced upwards to see her hanyou perched up on the Goshinkobu with his eyes partially closed and one ear perked in her direction. His voice, which struck her as the night's air had, sleepily asked, "What are you doing up?"

Kagome gazed him with wonder as the meager glow illuminated his silver hair and a portion of his paled face. Though she had a question, she couldn't bring herself to ask it as another tremor wracked her frame.

Leaping down in front of her, Inuyasha repeated his question, "What are you doing up?"

In response she could only murmur, "I was cold."

"Wasn't that furball sleeping with you?" Inuyasha wondered, thinking that Shippo was plenty warm.

"Yes..." Kagome trailed off as she realized where this was going.

Inuyasha sighed and persisted with an irritated tone, "Then, why exactly did you come out here?" Removing his haori, he placed it around her without further comment.

Kagome pulled herself into his warmth as she finally asked the question that had been nagging at her, "Inuyasha, is what I read in the book true? What you said?" She herself wasn't sure if she was prepared for the answer, but regardless, she prayed it was true; after all, it had been three whole years and then some since their first meeting.

Shifting in indecisiveness, his eyes lost their place on her face at her direct questioning. "Uh," Inuyasha stammered and began to lecture himself. _Oh come on and get on with it already! Stop being a pile of chicken shit and admit it like a man! _He cleared his throat, and confessed, "Yes, it was all true..."

On reflex, Kagome slid her arms around him in a deep embrace, and her beloved was unsure of what to do in response; was he supposed to hug her back or just stand there? Deciding that the former was the best response, he awkwardly completed the hug; a single inhalation her familiar scent and the awkwardness was washed away. "Inuyasha..." Kagome started as she snuggled closer into his chest.

"Hm?"

Regrettingly, Kagome murmured, "You know we can't tell anyone about this. Naraku will find out, and he'll use it against us..."

Inuyasha nodded in agreement; besides, he didn't want Miroku, Sango, and Shippo knowing just yet.

Warm...Kagome thought as his intense heat warmed every part of her, and in a few brief seconds, Kagome was sound asleep in his arms.

Lifting her, he took her back to the hut, and to his relief, she let go when he tucked her in. Adding his haori onto her shoulders for extra warmth, he placed Shippo in her lap, and left back for the Goshinkobu; thoughts weighed heavily on his mind and it was time to sort some of them out.

End of Chapter 4

**A/n : **Yes, I know, it was uber short, and really probably not worth your time, but it gets exciting after this! I thought this was a good place to stop because last time, the second part of the chappy was kinda a mood-kill. :o Anyways, now that you've read, please review!

~Mitzuki-chan


	5. Night of the New Moon

***A/n : **Finals are OVER! :D I wound up with a B for semester in my AP World History, but meh it's AP and I'm a freshman...otherwise, I have all As (some of them are only barely so). At first I was kind of annoyed, but I don't really care all that much anymore. Next year, I'll probably drop some college level classes (though I can't avoid it in shiz like math!) to include some normal high school things because I am sure one deprived freshman...Hmm, I need an art! I'm in photography, but I don't think I'll take it next year. I'm thinking choir, a drawing class of sorts (even though I'm absolutely terrible!), or a cooking class... :) Any suggestions anyone? Anyways, here's the chapter, nuff of me digressing!

***Disclaimer : **Not mine...it's called **fan**fiction for a reason here folks. :P

**One Day in Social Studies Class**

**Chapter 5 : **Night of the New Moon

Stretching and yawning, Kagome murmured in Shippo's general direction, "Morning."

Shippo's bright and pleasant, "Morning!" soon followed as he continued drawing his picture of a sitting rabbit, continually humming a random tune.

As she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and slapped her cheeks in a bitter attempt to wake herself up, she looked around and noticed that the liveliness of the hut wasn't present: Sango wasn't injuring Miroku for his usual, lechorous deeds, Inuyasha and Shippo weren't having a dispute (since when was the last time Shippo peacefully colored anyhow?), and Kaede wasn't sitting somewhere with her pestle and mortar grinding out her annoyance on the poor herb she had picked that morning. Wondering what was amiss, Kagome asked, "Where _is _everyone?"

Taking a glance from his coloring, Shippo answered hesitantly, "Well, Miroku and Kaede went to perform the 'final services' or whatever they called them-I don't really remember-for an elder in the village...So naturally Sango and Kirara went, too. They decided to leave you here because you were happily sleeping with Inuyasha's haori, and well, I didn't wanna go. Hey, where _is _Inuyasha?"

"That's what I was about to ask you," the young priestess trailed off as she realized the obvious. _Where'd he go? I hope he's alright, but he just probably left to go fish or something...Maybe he's thinking about last night?_

At the sound of a cup-o-noodle falling out of her bag, Kagome asked as she took a gander at the fallen object, "You already eat?"

Shippo nodded; as if he would let all the reliable adults not feed him before they left. Smiling, Kagome mused to herself that she wouldn't have to prepare any sort of food unless she was hungry herself and she began to dig in her bag for something mindless to occupy herself with until someone came back.

The worn copy of her history textbook came into view, and Kagome's eyes grew wide at the sight; she could swear that the book's thickness had considerably decreased. Grabbing it, she nervously flipped open the book to _The Tale of Inuyasha _and immediately went to the end of the section and began to read the selection:

_The start of something disastrous usually begins with something that seems irrelavent or normal, and that was indeed the case. Inuyasha wandered off in the middle of the night, and we thought nothing of it as we arose in the early hours of daylight to conduct a funeral for an elder that had passed in the outskirts of the village. The fox and miko were left behind in the hut in case he had returned before we did._

__

By the time we finished our duties and arrived at midday, we grew more concerned at the fact that Inuyasha still hadn't returned. If he was running off, usually he would tell us at the very least. Where could he have possibly gone? Why?

__

We spent our entire day only to find him as a twilight, lit by only the stars, came in on us in a long-destroyed village that was situated far from Kaede's own. Collapsed in the unforgving dirt, his frothy, poisoned blood pooled around his body and was continually supplied by his plethora of bubbling and festering wounds. Of all the forms...of all of them...tonight, tonight he had to be human. Though just barely, he was alive, and the miko attempted to save him with all she had. Working tirelessly until she, too, was coated in his blood as tears silently streamed down her face. He had died without us knowing why he left in the first place, was it really worth his life? We didn't even know if he knew we were with him in the end...

Without bothering to read the rest, she jumped up, dropped the book, grabbed her bag and Inuyasha's haori, and mounted the bike she hadn't ridden in months. "Umm...Kagome, where are _you _going?"

"I'm going to save Inuyasha; the book told me something bad would happen if I don't!" Kagome yelled as she began to peddle in the direction of the forlorn village mentioned in her textbook, with confidence that it was the same.

Hopping onto the giant backback, Shippo shouted his warning, "But shouldn't we wait for Sango and Miroku?"

"You should!" Kagome returned as she left one hand to steer the bike to drop the kitsune on the ground below. "If they come back, tell them I went to Inuyasha's home village and why!", Kagome's final request was as she sped off into the distance.

_Inuyasha, I'm coming for you! Don't you dare die on me now!_

Peddling rapidly, Kagome forgot how long it had been since she departed and wasn't quite sure whether or not she was tired; her motives were clear and she wasn't going to be half-assing them now. The sun, now beginning to set, and Kagome's determination grew tenfold. _Come on, I just have to find you now..._

Striking her, she felt the presence of a single, tainted jewel shard, and continued in that direction. Through some untrodden paths, she found Inuyasha on his back with blood seeping through his white undershirt as he was trying to back up from the large snake demon that hissed in declaration, "Thisss isss thee enndd for youuu, youuu sshhhalll beee my nnnexxxt mmeaal!" Tetsusaiga in its 'more-useless-than-a-butterknife' state was being gripped onto by a whitening hand as if the pressure would allow a transformation and Inuyasha himself slightly shuttered at the fate that was beginning to befall him with no escape route in sight.

In a swift, careless motion, Kagome slid off her bike, immediately grabbed her bow and quiver, and quickly nocked the bow. Kagome released her hand from her clammy grasp on the arrow and let it fly with its holy glow to pierce the snake through the side of the head, leaving it to dissintigrate and the jewel shard to fall to the ground. On instict, she snatched up her bag and brought it with her as she rushed to the side of her fallen love. As his frame wracken in convulsions, she took him up and sat him upright up against her.

Single-handedly, she rummaged around until she found the object of her necessity: a metal water bottle that was filled with a strong multi-purposed antidote. Inuyasha's violet eyes opened halfway with a squint and his voice was low. " 'Gome?"

Sighing in relief, Kagome unscrewed the top and held it up to his lips. "Yes, Inuyasha, I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Drink this," she confirmed and commanded. Though with a struggle, his lips met the rim of the water bottle and she slowly tilted it so he could take a drink. A drink turned into massive gulps and some of the sludgy, oozing liquid slid down the sides of his mouth until she pulled it away and wiped it away from his face. "That should help with the poison...now let's get that wound wrapped up."'

She found water, ointment, and gause in her bag, and quickly treated the remaining wound. Leaning back on her hands, Kagome murmured as delayed weariness was now coming onto her, "Feeling better now?"

"Mmm," Inuyasha answered as his breathing grew less rapid and his body no longer convulsed.

Completely immersed in darkness, Kagome fished out a flashlight from her bag and turned it on. His pale face was illuminated and his eyes slightly opened in annoyed, silent protest. "Inuyasha, it's dark and late, do you think I can move you? Or should we find shelter somewhere and stay the night?"

"Move me..." Inuyasha answered as he picked up his haori from the top of her bag and put it on, curling into the small amount of warmth it provided. Standing, he slightly wobbled but managed to hold his own and Kagome soon followed in suit. Since the night was only illuminated by the star's meager light, Kagome extracted some hair ties she kept on her wrists and attached the flashlight to the front of her bike. Boarding herself, Inuyasha mounted the futuristic contraption behind her with her backpack on his back. His hands slid around her waist and head settled on her back.

Though the night would be long, Kagome kept peddling to find their way to the safety of Kaede's village. The time passed was tedious, but the warmth that passed between the two bodies was enough to keep them alert and aware; each movement, each motion between the two was noted and relished amongst themselves.

Breaking their silence, voices called their names in the distance. "Sango? Miroku? You're here?"

The air around them shifted as Kirara made her landing near the now-stationary bike, and the two dismounted, glad to see that the two were safe. "Kagome, Inuyasha, why don't you take Kirara back...we'll take your bike and your bag. We're all fine now, and Kami-sama knows we're tired, so tell us all about this little adventure tomorrow."

Nodding their assent, the two lazily made their way onto Kirara as Sango hefted the bag left abandoned nearby by Inuyasha and sat behind Miroku on the bike. Their ride home was now safe in their friends care, the couple wascontent with the others' warmth with the belief that sheer will can beat fate. The night would be long, indeed, but now was the time for sleep.

**A/n : **Wahh! That was such an awkward start! And I'm not sure if it got any less awkward towards the end, but hey it's long! :) Anyways, Mitzuki here hopes that she can update her Christmas chapter on Christmas so give her reviews and she might be in a giving mood! ^.- Now you've read, please review! Onegai! :D

~Mitzuki-chan


	6. Shopping and Christmastime

***A/n : **Merry Christmas! :D And...Happy New Year! Sorry...I didn't think I'd be going to the grandparent's cabin (no Internet except for my phone...I'm not a skillful texter either!) up north for Christmas, but apparently I was...*finds out the morning of* O_O that was twelve hours too many with the dogs in the middle of no where in the back seat of a car... *slumps down in chair* Thanks to all that reviewed! Here's the chappy!

***Disclaimer :** WONDERS WHY PEOPLE WRITE IMPORTANT LEGAL THINGS IN ALL CAPS LIKE "I DON'T OWN INUYASHA!" IT'S NOT EASIER TO READ (FOR ME ANYWAYS) AND IT JUST TAKES UP SPACE! XD**  
**

**One Day in Social Studies Class**

**Chapter 6 : Part 1 :** Shopping & Christmastime

"Inuyasha," Kagome hummed to the hanyou in an attempt to coerce him to awake from his slumber. Awakening at the simple call of his name, Inuyasha stared at her with a classic 'what? I was sleeping' look. "I don't want you getting up quite yet, but I have to go back to the modern era to do some shopping."

Eyes full of questions, he asked bluntly with a wide expression, "Shopping for what?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you...did I? About Christmas," Kagome muttered while she scratched her head. His confused demeanor caused her to continue, "It's a day that lovers traditionally spend together, but oftentimes, it's a time where friends and family all get together and give each other presents and eat food; it's just a fun time for everyone."

Pulling the only useful piece of information out, he persisted, "Wait, so if you're getting us something, shouldn't we get stuff for each other, too? And when is this 'Christ-mas'?"

"Yeah, I suppose you should," Kagome considered. "Tell the others about it, but don't you dare go out on a limb or your present will be me patching you up! And it's in two days, so I'll be back tomorrow at least. Oh we should probably celebrate sometime tomorrow because I want to go back on the day of. Okay?"

Murmuring his assennt, she gave her goodbyes and ventured to the time a well and blue light separated.

_Christmas, eh?_

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x**_  
_

With a spring in her step, Eri asked while swinging her five shopping bags back and forth, "So, you're spending the holiday with your cousins?" _  
_

Kagome, who was hefting six herself, replied simply, "Yeah." _My cousins...Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, Kaede...Yeah, let's just go with that._

Thoughts drifted to Ayumi's own boyfriend as she wondered aloud, "But what about your boyfriend, Kagome? Won't he be lone-ly?"_  
_

"What, Inuyasha?" she retorted back, caught aghast by the question. _I can't believe I said that so naturally..._

"Yeah, what about Inuyasha? Is he coming with?" Yuka's suggestive undertones became overtones as the questions progressed.

Kagome was flabbergasted, and blushed profusely as she objected, "Yes, but not like _that_! Yuka, I can't believe you!"

"Alright, alright...But what are you going to get him?" Yuka apologetically averted the conversation from the former topic.

Sighing, Kagome sat down on a bench and curled into the warmth of her sweater while her friends clustered around her in suit. Considering aloud, Kagome drudged on, "He doesn't like much...He doesn't _need _much...He doesn't even _want _much...And all I can think of is food, but, who does that? It's so pathetic! If I did that, I'd be a failure as a girl-Nevermind!' Flustering herself, Kagome couldn't resist the dire temptation to continue and put her foot her mouth. "But...The way to a man's heart _is _food, so..." Kagome trailed off with no real knowledge of what she had actually jabbered on about.

Ayumi, who had also been in this conflict since the start of the season, reassured, "I'm sure something will hit you, 'Gome. It hit me." She lifted up a single small bag in her hands to confirm her statement.

"Thanks, Ayumi...Hey can we go over to your house to wrap some of this stuff? I don't want Mama, Souta, and Ji-chan finding out what I got them..."

"Yeah, let's!" the trio exclaimed and began running through the crisp, fresh snow to Ayumi's house.

Announcing her arrival, Kagome shut the door with her foot. At the silent response, Kagome called out, "Mama? Souta? Ji-chan? Anyone home?" Walking in further, she deserted her bags and began to search for her family members.

"Oh, hi Kagome," Souta greeted as he took off his headphones. "Sorry, I was listening to music."

In a swift motion, she removed the headphones from their position on his neck and lectured, "Souta, you're going to go deaf if you listen to it that loud."

Souta shrugged and turned his full attention to her. Kagome took advantage of the moment and asked, "Where is everyone?"

"Ummm...Shopping, I think," Souta answered with an unknowing repose.

"Eh, oh well...Will you tell everyone I'll be back Christmas Day? 'Kay?" Kagome looked at her brother who had already put his headphones back on. Lifting one up, she nagged, "Heard that?" With a single nod, Kagome murmured, "Better."

Kagome left the labeled present designated to her family under their tree and returned to the Feudal Era through the well of the ages.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, and Kaede were all in Kaede's quaint hut while waiting for Kagome to speak . "Okay, guys, I heard Inuyasha actually listened and told you guys about Christmas, right?" There wasn't a single shake of a head in disagreement and Kagome continued, "Good job, Inuyasha. And any questions?"

Shippo piped up in hyper anticipation of the thought of receiving presents, "Ummm, so we get something for everyone?"

"Yep!" Kagome clapped her hands together and grinned. "Everyone got that? And we can exchange presents tomorrow morning and I brought back some food so we can eat!"

The ever-curious kitsune spoke up once more to ask another question, "So why do they have this holiday in your time, Kagome?"

Considering it, she answered honestly, "You know, I don't really know...I think it came from a religion in another land, but what I do know is that Christmas is a time of happiness: a time to be thankful to your friends, your family, and well your life as it is. It's about the giving, not receiving, I suppose. That's it everyone!"

As they dismissed themselves, Kagome watched Inuyasha as he stared forward deep in thought and rise to walk out to follow the rest in his own delayed time. Kagome wondered, "Do you know what you're getting everyone?"

"Believe it or not, I've already got you covered, and I've got an idea for the others," Inuyasha stated as he walked out the door with a careless wave.

_Wait, what? Since when did he get me something? I just told him about it a little while ago...Anyways...What am I going to get him?_ Scrambling out of the hut, she went to find him a gift.

**~With Shippo~**

"Dah Dee Dah..." the young kitsune hummed while resting on his stomach and carelessly swinging his legs behind him as he colored. _They're going to love these..._

**~With Miroku~**

"Ah, this one please," Miroku pointed to something that had caught his eye hanging in this shop.

"Lovely selection, is this for someone special?" the rosy-cheeked woman behind the counter asked as she carefully wrapped it, knowing that this gift would be lovingly given and lovingly received.

Miroku rubbed at the back of his neck as he answered anxiously, "Yeah..." Placing a handful of coins on the counter, she handed him the package. Bidding the woman farewell, he practically all-but skipped out of the shop thinking,_ Hmm...Shippo, that's easy...Kirara, easier...Kagome, okay, I've got an idea...Kaede, got it...Inuyasha, that one's hard. What could I possibly get him? It's stupid, but I've got an idea..._

**~With Sango~**

_Shippo, Inuyasha...Okay those two are done...Kirara, I'll have to get that one when I'm not with her...Kagome, that works...Miroku, what do I get him? I got an idea, but it isn't really a possession in which he can keep...Eh, I'm sure he'll be more than thrilled...Kaede, I got it..._

**~With Kaede~**

Picking an herb, Kaede thought, _Getting them all individual gifts would be troublesome...What if I combined it all, and Kagome could keep it with her? That just might work..._

**~With Inuyasha~**

_The runt better like this...Aside from Kagome's gift, this is the one I spent some thought on...The pervert's getting something crappy, but I can't wait to give it to him. It's bugging me, and they're all wrapped up..Kirara, I think she'll be happy...Sango, I don't know...I've never really understood her...The old hag, well, maybe? Hey, Kagome's over there...I wonder what she's doing...? _

Without realizing it, he found himself watching her from behind a tree. He jumped when she said his name, "Inuyasha, what am I going to get you? You're the one person I haven't gotten anything for..." _Is that her problem?_

"I don't want to give you food...It's so lame. I already gave you that little gold locket, and you don't really carry much with you. You don't need much, you don't want much. You just manage on whatcha got... Where would he even put something if I were to get it for him?" the miko muttered as she paced in circles around a tree. She was completely oblivious to the hanyou spying on her. _That's probably because I don't want anything from you...All I want is for you to stay by my side. To see your smile, your laugh...everything I guess. The way you never give up, your personality, how your eyes twinkle, your concern, hell, the second before you sit me is amusing. The way your flare up in anger...Heh..._

Finally acknowledging his presence, Kagome turned around and her eyes caught the familiar red robe. "Inuyasha...?"

Realizing he'd been caught, Inuyasha dropped the packages and walked towards Kagome as she spoke, "How much of that did you hear?"

"Umm, enough?" Inuyasha stuttered mindlessly.

Kagome bit her lip and admitted in a lame whimper, "So...You know I didn't get you anything?" After he nodded, she rested her forehead on his chest and apologized, "I'm sorry...I have no clue what to give you..."

He wrapped his arms around her and answered reassuringly, "It's alright..."

Looking up at him, she retorted, "No it's not! There has to be something!" With a frank shove, she separated herself from him and looked him dead in the eyes.

He smiled, "Well, there's something you _could _do..."

"What?" Kagome instantly asked like a dog desiring with their entire being for that one scrap; except in this case, the scrap would lead her to the end of her fretting.

Inuyasha could barely keep a straight face as he spoke, "Kagome, Christmas isn't really until the day _after _tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, right...That's why I want to go back home for that day, why?" Kagome was now completely and utterly confused. What on earth could this possibly have to do with her inability to assess his personality well enough to figure out what to give him?

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Inuyasha requested in a bluntly demanding way, "Well, then take me with you, and I will give you your present then. Depending on your response, you'll have given me mine as well."

_Woah, what? Since when did Inuyasha actually *want* to go back to my era? And what is that supposed to mean? "Depending on your response, you'll have given me mine as well." So, his present is my response? What if I don't like it? _Kagome's face paled as she thought of that possibility.

"I'm sure you'll like it, Kagome, no need to worry of it now," Inuyasha smirked in a somehow omniscient state.

Slumping in confusion, Kagome asked, "When did you get so tricky?"

In a quick turn, Inuyasha refused to let her see his boyishly grinning face as he retraced his steps, picked up the parcels, and began the trek back to Kaede's hut.

**~With Sango~**

_Ah, everyone's done...There's Miroku!_

"Hey, Miroku!" Sango beckoned the familiar perverted monk to approach her by the river running through Kaede's village.

Granting her request, Miroku came skidding down the small hill that separated him from his beloved Sango. "Hey, Sango!" Miroku greeted cheerfully as he set down his own bundle near her own.

"Miroku, you wouldn't mind if I gave you your present a little early would you?" Sango asked.

"I guess not..." Miroku wondered why and was instantly caught unaware by Sango's lips pressing onto his own. He had no clue how to respond, and neither one of them moved to deepen the kiss. Miroku, in fact, had stood their stiffly as if his lovely woman were to decide she had aquired a liking to a tree.

Separating, Sango picked up her own load, and walked towards Kaede's hut. "I couldn't think of anything better to get you..."

His mind finally assessed the situation and his face had immediately flushed (without Sango slapping it, who would have guessed!). _I couldn't think of anything better you could have given me Sango...Well, I could...But this is a good start..._Grabbing everyone's gifts, he followed Sango like a lovesick puppy who had been thrown his bone after all.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Bouncing off the walls, Shippo exclaimed in hurried excitement, "Wake up everyone!" He couldn't wait to tear into the rapping, rip it to shreds, and unravel the presents that were even-so-clearly labelled under a small tree that Kagome had asked Inuyasha to bring in. Though Kagome had attempted to decorate it with strung popcorn, it was eaten as a snack by her companions who asked, "Kagome, does Christmas also include putting food on a tree?"

Groans, sounds of stretching, and yawns filled the room as they all slowly rose to their feet. Even Inuyasha had slept indoors last night, muttering something about "it's too cold" and "it'll snow tomorrow anyway".

Lauching himself from an adjacent wall, he landed on Inuyasha's head demanding, "Come onnn! Let's gooo!" With a sharp and accurate pluck, he removed the runt from his head, set him squarely on the ground and chucked a simple, scarcely wrapped with paper crumpled around in a makeshift mannerat him.

Eyes widening, Shippo asked, "Can I open it?'

With everyone now sitting around in a circle and the presents each had acquired, Inuyasha muttered, "Well, I don't see why _not_. It _is _for you anyways." Sneakily averting his eyes, Inuyasha couldn't help but slightly watching the young fox anxiously shred the paper though he only had to simply unravel it.

A brown, furry mass was procured from the package, and Shippo held it with a questioning glance at Inuyasha. Sighing, the hanyou explained, "It's a lucky rabbit demon foot. It _might _save your ass only once."

Shippo was now confused. Was this the true secret to immortality? If so, why was he giving it to him of all people? "Wait, so if people kept, like, a thousand of these they could live forever?"

"No," Inuyasha shook his head. "It can save someone with demon blood only once in a lifetime, and even then, it may not. Depends on your circumstances," he further explained.

Though he had an odd feeling not to ask, he proceeded regardless, "Thanks. And did it...Did it save you once?"

Inuyasha simply nodded in confirmation without wishing to elaborate further. "Eh, and now it belongs to you, Shippo. Here Miroku," Inuyasha said as he flung a heavily-wrapped package at the monk who caught it single-handedly. The paper squished inwards a few inches and Miroku wondered why he would wrap it so much. Defending himself, Inuyasha remarked, "You'll see why...Just open it."

Tearing the paper off layer by layer, he saw that the package produced a rosary and faces turned to Inuyasha. "What? I figured he's a monk, though doesn't act like one," he broke off to shoot momentary daggers at the monk as he recalled their first meeting. "And the one he does have covers the wind tunnel...So isn't he lacking a traditional weapon?" Inuyasha logically stated. Miroku gave him his thanks and began to figure out how to wrap it about his wrist. Who would ever think a _hanyou_ who happened to be friends with a _monk _would give said monk a rosary?

Everyone in the small hut had been shocked by how well Inuyasha thought about practical gifts, and without further notice, Inuyasha chucked a small compact at Sango, who instantly recognized what it was. "Poison...in the compact my mom made for my dad before she died..." Jumping up, she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. "I thought I lost it."

Obviously distraught by Sango's method of thanking him, Inuyasha honestly stated, "I really had no clue it was that important to you...I just picked it up after you dropped it when...you know...you tried to kill me, what, three years ago? I've been meaning to give it back anyhow..."

Releasing him, she sat back in her space, clutching onto the hand-carved item that she thought she had lost with a smile of gratitude filling out her face. Miroku, obviously slightly perturbed by her actions thought, _why doesn't she get that look because of me?_ With a mindless toss, he sent some dried meat Kirara's way, and she devoured it within moments, pleased by the flavoring. Her eyes squinted and he cocked her head, wondering where more was.

"Eh, Kaede, here you go." Inuyasha handed her her package, knowing that she wasn't nearly as young and spry as she once was. Curiously examining it, she found its weak point and dismantled it to extract her present.

Her eyes widened as she revealed what it was, "Wreathe weed...This is difficult to find..."

"If I remember correctly, it was everywhere when you were a kid. I've only seen it in the mountains these days; it's useful isn't it?"

Kaede laughed and said, "Thanks, old man."

Chuckling himself he returned, "Yeah, no problem, kiddo." Stares were passed between Kaede, who was no nearing sixty years in age and showing it, and Inuyasha, the hanyou who hadn't seemed to age at all.

"But I am still yer elder, though," Kaede stated with a firm tone.

Brushing it off, he muttered, "Yeah, yeah. Hey, Kagome, why don't you go next?"

Shippo instantly realized something was amiss and reflected as such, "Um Inuyasha, didn't you get something for Kagome?"

Rubbing the back of her neck, Kagome admitted, "I didn't get him anything, but he got me something...So he told me to wait until tomorrow when I celebrate with my family..."

Miroku though he accurately gaged Inuyasha's true intentions and jokingly nudged at the hanyou's chest with his elbow, wiggling his eyebrows. Annoyed by his companions actions, he smacked him upside the head. "Can't quit being a perv, can you?" There was no answer, so Kagome handed her first present to Shippo, who tore it open to find a leather-bound art set.

"There are crayons, these things called pastels and they're like spreadable crayons," Kagome pointed. "Markers have ink, you know the stuff people write with? It's inside those. Oh, and there are pencils, and you can erase those with that white block thing. To sharpen them, use that little thingy with the silver blade. Then, over here, there's a piece of charcoal and a rubber eraser. I'm sure you'll figure it all out soon."

"Thanks Kagome!"

"No problem, and here Sango," Kagome said as she handed the package to the friend sitting next to her.

"Okay..." Kagome dug around in her bag until she found the first package. "Ah, here Sango."

Sango opened it to find a pink bikini. "Umm...Kagome...What is it?" Holding it upright, she flipped both pieces backwards and inside out trying to figure out their primary purposes. What on earth were these for? It's material, so is it clothing? How can that cover much?

Holding back her laughter at Sango's contorting and questioning faces, Kagome answered, "It's called a bikini, and some women wear them when them swim. I figured it might kill some of Miroku's hopes for peeping in the hot springs..." Everyone shot a scowl at Miroku and he shrugged; perverts do what perverts do, and he wasn't intending on letting such a small article of clothing dissuade him.

Laughing, she finally got it. "Thanks, Kagome, it's perfect!"

Kagome handed Miroku his gift and Miroku opened the small, tightly wrapped box carefully. "Erm, what are these?" He held up three items enclosed in cardboard and plastic.

"They're ballpoint pens, they should make sutra writing easier, and I figured these could be carried in your robes and used instead of having to borrow an ink set at a random village. I remember you complaining about it when we were no where near a village last week."

"Wow...I can actually write them anytime...it's so convenient...thanks." Miroku opened the plastic they were concealed in and mindlessly clicked one of the pens. Sango hefted a small pebble that she found stuck between the boards of the floor, threw it at Miroku's head to catch his attention, and mouthed, "Stop it."

Kagome threw a small bag to Kirara, who promptly put a paw on it, tore at the rest with her teeth, and exposed a little purple mouse. Sinking her teeth into it, the fire cat rolled onto her back and started playing with it with her feet, daintily bouncing it back and forth.

Handing the last, large package to Kaede, Kagome grinned widely. The old miko immediately recognized what it was even though it was modern. "An organization system...There's room for all of my dried herbs and everything...I don't know what to say, Kagome...Thank ye..."

"I'm glad you like it...Umm, Shippo why don't you go next?" Kagome proposed.

"Okay!" Shippo was prepared, and pulled out five drawings and a small fish, which was promptly given to Kirara. Handing a drawing to each of them, they all smiled.

Kaede's picture contained a "family portrait" of the six of them standing in front of Kaede's hut all with happy demeanors. Meanwhile, Inuyasha and Kagome both received drawings of each other standing in front of the Goshinboku with Shippo happily situated in their arms. Likewise was for Miroku and Sango, except Kirara was in both of their depictions.

"Wow, Shippo, these are amazing..." Kagome gawked.

"With crayons, too..." Sango marvelled.

"Never knew the runt had it in 'im..."

They weren't lying, either. For being composed of one of the worst coloring tools known to man, they were amazing. Details and shadowing were all there. By coloring lightly, he managed to make it much better than it would have been otherwise. No harsh, disgusting flayed crayon look that could be scratched off by a weak finger nail.

"Umm, Sango next!" Shippo determined.

Sango got up and handed everyone their presents. A fish was layed out in front of Kirara and she immediately ate it with a pleased look on her face. Opening his first, Shippo found a small sheathed dagger and Sango smiled, "Gotta have something other than teeth, claws, and tricks, right?" Shippo fervently agreed and stuffed it into the sash that he had tied the lucky foot to.

Inuyasha took one thin slice with his claw, and saw a sheathed sword. "You are pretty much a useless human...Sure you've got brute strength, but you can't bring a fist to a sword fight and expect to win," Sango explained her choice.

The hanyou laughed and drew it from the sheath. The metal shimmered and it had a good balanced weight. Resheathing the sword, he stashed it next to Tetsusaiga.

Kagome opened hers to find a necklace with half of a seashell as a pendant. "I've got the other half...so they come together." The miko put it around her neck and smiled as Sango pulled out her own to stick them together. _It's an early friendship necklace..._

Kaede unwrapped hers and found about a dozen vials for making potions and remedies. Tanking the demon slayer, she stuffed them behind her so she wouldn't miss anything.

"Umm, Miroku, you next," Sango selected.

Shippo whispered in Inuyasha's ear, "What about Miroku?"

"He already got his gift," the hanyou chuckled and Shippo looked confused. "I'll explain it to you when you're older, Shippo," Inuyasha promised and Shippo gave him a wry face, making the hanyou laugh more.

Pulling out a red ribbon with a bell attached, he walked up to Kirara and tied it around her neck. At Sango's glare he explained, "It'll grow with her, and I thought you both like things that jingle..." With tromping leaps, the fire cat listened to the jingling and everyone laughed; apparently, she approved.

"Aw, that's so cute!" Sango and Kagome squealed.

"Shippo, Kagome, Inuyasha..." Miroku handed them each a package with the desire to rush through so he could give Sango his present.

Shippo opened it to find a large pad of paper, Kagome got a larger quiver that had straps to hold her bow as well, and Inuyasha got a band to tie his hair with. "Shippo, I figured Kagome would give you some more crayons, so paper seemed fitting. Kagome, now you don't have to carry your bow with your hand or shove it in your bag so no more forgetting it or leaving it behind. And Inuyasha, your hair has to bother you in battle, it flies everywhere," Miroku bluntly explained.

The group laughed at Miroku's practicality before he handed another present to Kaede, who opened it to find a new pestle and mortar to mix the ingredients she would be putting in the vials.

Placing his gift for Sango in her lap, he sat back next to her, eagerly staring to not miss her response. To torture him slightly, she slowly removed the ribbon and insisted on not destroying the wrapping, but taking it apart without harm. The lid of the box was eased off and a sakura patterned kimono came into view. Gasping, she thanked, "It's beautiful, Miroku! Thank you! But when would I wear it?" After all, travelling and battling in a kimono, no thank you.

Miroku leaned over and whispered suggestively in her ear, "Our wedding day, perhaps?" Blushing, she nodded.

"Kaede, last but not least," Miroku gave the gift-giving reign to the elderly miko.

Handing a book to Kagome, she began to explain, "This is a detailed description of the useful herbs found around; where, when, and in what conditions to find them are some of the details as well as what part to use for what ailment and how to prepare them. It's all in there and categorized, and I figured it could help all of ye. So, it's a group present and I'm sure you each will find use for it, but I'm leaving it in the care of ye, Kagome."

Thumbing through it, Kagome even saw drawings of each herb on its own page. "Wow...Kaede, i'll be sure to use it. Now, who wants to eat?"

Everyone got up and began the tedious task of preparing the food, but it would all be worth it in the end.

**End of Chapter 6 : Part 1  
**

**A/n : **Well there it is! Sorry about the stupid separations, but nothing works! And Christmas scene...so long and hard... Happy 2011, guys! Only a year until we meet our doom! *starts waving hands around mystically then breaks out into uncontrollable laughter* And until this frigid, albeit wet cold has gone away, I might not update as much until spring. Due to an accident a few years back that I haven't fully healed from, I don't have much use in my left elbow and down while it's cold and/or wet outside and with my vision, cloud cover is intensified, so I don't like looking at white screens so much! Hope you guys understand; I'll try my best though! Part 2 of this chapter will be for the family (if I didn't cut it here, the update would take at least 8k words and definitely AFTER New Years!), and what do you think Inuyasha's planning? =other than you guys who read the last version? Anyways...Now that you've read...Please review!

~Mitzuki-chan


	7. His First Christmas with the Family

***A/n : **Thank you to all that reviewed and such! To my anon reviewers as well, who seem to have grown! :D Those of you alerting and not reviewing, drop in once and a while, 'kay? If you guys don't tell me what you like and don't, I'm not going to get any better! :o

***Disclaimer :** Nope, not mine! He wasn't the last few months, why now? **  
**

**One Day in Social Studies Class**

**Chapter 6 : Part 2 : His First Christmas with the Family**

"I'm home!" Kagome called over "Carol of the Bells" as the bells were striking and the vocals had reached its own forte while Inuyasha was at her heels with his ears flattened against his head in preparation of passing the radio blaring the classic carol. Determining no one could hear their arrival, the duo strolled into the kitchen full of holiday scents where they found Mrs. Higurashi humming the female second soprano part. "Mama!" Kagome exclaimed with a tap on the shoulder.

In a sharp turn, the mother was facing the two and spoke words completely unheard by Kagome's ears. "What?" Sighing, the hanyou walked over to source of the noise and turned it down a considerable ten notches before "Feliz Navidad" could declare its powerful repetition to the Higurashi household as well as the surrounding neighbors, which one must respect is quite the feat; after all, the family lived in a shrine on the top of a hill.

"You're home early! And you brought Inuyasha with you!" Mama reiterated with a sparkling glow in her eyes. After giving them each a warm, motherly embrace, she fwipped Inuyasha's ears once and smiled as they swung back to their proper position at the top of his head. "So you both are here to celebrate Christmas," she began. Checking the roast, she marinated it once more before she closed the door again and continued, "Well, you came back just in time. We'll be having dinner tonight at five and well, that's it; just have fun!"

Giving her mother a kiss on the cheek, Kagome left leading Inuyasha up the stairs and to her brother's area of habitation. "I'm sure you don't want to deal with Gramps, so will you keep Souta amused for a little while? I'm sure he'd love to see you," Kagome suggested as she began to descend the stairs, leaving him standing in the hallway.

Inuyasha rapped on the door with no response, but faintly hear music on the other side of the door. Opening the door, he saw Souta leaning back in his computer chair with his ear buds plugged into the computer as his fingers mindlessly clicked at the keys before him, forming words on the white screen that rested on his desk. The boy had no clue that someone had entered until Inuyasha blatantly walked up to him and removed the earbuds with a simple yoink. "If i can hear that through the door, how loud is it?" the familiar voice asked.

Spinning around, he saw the hanyou that he decided to idolize three years ago. "Inuyasha!" Souta greeted with a giant hug.

"Souta, there is something I want to ask you, as the man of this household," Inuyasha requested as he put a hand on Souta's shoulder.

Souta's eyes widened at his sudden directness and responded, "Umm...But isn't Gramps the man of the house?"

Sliding back from Souta, Inuyasha denied, "No...I wouldn't tell the old coot something as important as this is!" He remembered all the times he got chased around, pelted with useless purification salts and sutras, and sworn at. "What I am about to tell you is to remain secret until your grandfather finds out through someone that _isn't _you, got that?" Souta nodded and Inuyasha proceeded, "I want to marry your sister."

Shrugging, Souta laughed, "Pfft...We all saw that coming! I approve, Mama approves, and well Jii-chan is well...Jii-chan."

A bead of sweat appeared on Inuyasha's face as he cringed. "You mean to tell me you've all discussed this before?"

"Uh, yeah," Souta replied awkwardly as if it wasn't as big of a deal as the hanyou seemed to think it was. "Wow...You're surprisingly...proper; I never thought you would have asked me for Kagome, but umm...Yeah, go talk to Mama later...Hey wanna play this game with me first?"

Though the hanyou would have rather talked to Kagome's mother immediately, he couldn't pass up the request his love's little brother made either. Plopping on the ground, Inuyasha grabbed a controller while Souta started the game console. The hour was passed with zombie-killing madness.

"Hey, Inuyasha, I'm going to bathroom, okay? Here, I'll put it on single-player for you." Souta went back to the menu, selected the single-player option, and left the room without further mention.

Five minutes had passed by the time the young boy returned and suggested, "Mama's almost done with dinner and if you want to talk to her alone, now's the time. Kagome's taking a nap, too."

Realizing that this was now the time that could make or break him, the hanyou got up, abandoning the blood-stained avatar as zombies pursued and mauled it. With a deep breath and a disregard to the screaming the speakers produced, Inuyasha left the room and went back to the kitchen to talk to Kagome's mother. "Umm...Mrs. Higurashi, could I ask you a question?"

"Yeah sure, sweetie, what is it?" she replied nonchalauntly as she minced some vegetables together, forcing them to mingle.

Nervously rubbing the back of his neck, he asked with a stuttering voice, "Umm...Would you be alright if I..."

"Marry my daughter?" Mrs. Higurashi finished for him. Turning around, she faced him still wielding the knife as she continued, completely aware of his astonished look, "Yes, it is fine with me; in fact, I love the thought of having doggie-eared grandchildren." She smiled as her hand automatically found his ears once more. "But don't you ever hurt her, got that?" Though she may not have intended it, a glare cast over her face as she threateningly clutched onto the knife.

Inuyasha slid away and pointed out, "Umm, Mrs. Higurashi...?"

"You can call me Mama now, dearie," Mrs. Higurashi insisted as the implement was still in her hand, now with slightly intimidating motions.

"Umm...Mrs.-I mean, Mama, could you...put down the knife?" Inuyasha asked, glaring at the object that was approaching his already-injured midsection via her careless hand gestures.

Looking at the blade, she chuckled nervously and put it down on the counter. "Besides, if I didn't trust you with my daughter, I wouldn't have given her to you three years ago to take back to your unknown time and land. Anyways, just enjoy the rest of today, okay?" She smiled and resumed her cooking.

_Somehow...That woman scares me the most...I can almost picture flames in her eyes, hefting that knife...Ugh think happy thoughts...How am I going to propose to her?_ Inuyasha thought as he walked outside to the small scrap of 'outside' he can enjoy.

Removing him from his reverie, a hard, blunt object made contact with the top of his head while a familiar voice growled, "Is what I heard while sweeping by the kitchen window true?"

"Yes?" Inuyasha answered cautiously and he watched as an evil glint cast over the grandfather's face.

Though not as spry and young as he once was, a reach within brooms-length was enough to give a certain hanyou a run for his money.

**x-x-x-x-x**

"Aghh!" Kagome heard Inuyasha's yelps through her slumber in her _own comfortable bed_. Clearly unamused, she sauntered to her feet. Opening her window, she screeched in a high pitched tone, "Will you two cut it out already? And Gramps, why do you insist on chasing Inuyasha? And Inuyasha, what did you do to Gramps?"

Inuyasha stopped and gave allowance for a final smack to the head and called up to her, "It's nothing, Kagome!" Now that the adrenaline of running had worn off, he noticed the crimson seeping through his clothing.

"Inuyasha? Is that what I think it is? Come up here, now!" Kagome demanded, already preparing her bed with towels and pulling out the needed medical supplies.

By the time she was fully done preparing, Inuyasha had made his way up the stairs and into her room. "You idiot," Kagome lectured, "I don't even understand what the two of you fight over...You didn't even break something this time, did you? You know, I was right, this would be your Christmas present: wrapping you back up."

With a pout, Inuyasha removed his haori, undershirt, and old bandages to reveal the full brunt of the damage to his chest, which was reduced to an only-slightly gaping gash across from his left shoulder to right hip. "Geez, how resilient are you hanyou? Like, do your organs compress and move when their master is being an idiot?"

"Actually, yes, something like that," the hanyou answered as he sat down on the edge of the bed while blood seeped down his chest in sickeningly, sticky droplets.

Kagome began to wash the wound and asked, "Why did you even go out to get this wound in the first place? Was it so important you forgot the moon cycle?"

Smirking, Inuyasha watched as his methodical love wrapped the gauze around and around his chest. "But that would require me to tell you what your Christmas present is..." her patient trailed off.

"Oh really now?" Kagome wondered as she finished.

In a confirming mimic, he returned, "Yes, really now." Quickly snatching his haori, he rummaged around in a hole in the doubled seam that provided a pocket and slid something out into his hand, careful to hide it from the curious girl before him.

"Am I getting my gift early?" Kagome asked.

With his classic boyish grin, he commented, "I don't know...I may be getting mine." Feeling that he should be looking at her, Inuyasha knelt down on one knee and held his hand out to her. In a quick motion, he revealed the object he had been hiding this entire time: a simple silver ring with a bizarre, green stone set in the middle. "Kagome Higurashi, after everything in our lives settles down, will you be my wife?" he proposed with a simple charm that he was unaware he possessed.

Kagome's eyes filled with tears and joined him on the ground, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Yes!" Kagome squealed. Once she removed him from her grasp, he slid the ring onto her shaking hand. "So, this is what you went looking for?"

Inuyasha nodded and remarked, "It was my mother's." A grin of sheep bliss appeared on Inuyasha's face as he looked down at _his bride. _

"Dinner!" Mama called and the happy couple noticed the aromas of food filling the room after their previous distraction was overcome. After Inuyasha had put on a shirt as well as a normal pair of jeans she kept in her bottom drawer, the two headed down to join the rest of the family.

With all the family present, sitting in front of the amply-supplied table, Mrs. Higurashi commented as she saw a glint of silver on Kagome's left hand, "Kagome, Inuyasha, do you have anything to tell us?"

Instead of choosing to verbally share the information with the rest of the family, Kagome held out her left hand to show the family the engagement ring that once belonged to Inuyasha's mother. A pleased gasp erupted from her mother, Gramps glared, and Souta smiled; how many people get their childhood hero as a brother-in-law?

"So, have any plans yet?" Mama asked as she cut and served the meat.

Kagome sighed, "Once everything settles down in the other world, and hopefully, that's not that much longer..." She thought about the impending issues with Naraku, the Jewel, and the eventual reunion with Kouga; boy will _that _be fun to explain.

"Sounds simple enough," Mrs. Higurashi replied. "What world do you want to live in?" The question caught the two by surprise; they new this day would be coming but the decision would probably have to be decided upon soon.

Looking back and forth at each other, Kagome answered earnestly, "We don't know yet..."

In order to lighten up the mood, Souta piped up, "Well congrats!"

**x-x-x-x-x**

"Souta, get up! It's Christmas morning!" Mrs. Higurashi prodded her son, vainly trying to awaken him. Apparently the appeal of presents wasn't appealing enough to get this eleven year old on his feet at the very least.

"But I wanna sleep..." Souta persisted as he grabbed his pillow and brought it up over his head to block out as much of the offending light and noise as possible.

Sighing, Mrs. Higurashi pulled off all the layers of blankets and sheets that covered the boy and yanked him out of bed as part of her usual routine. "Come on...I'm sure Inuyasha and Kagome want to leave early; they're busy with things, too...Can't be like you sleeping in all day, listening to music, and playing video games..."

The child was now on his feet and slid out of his room sluggishly, wiping the sleep out of his eyes. His feet slid on the floor. He was apparently too lazy to even lift them up to perform such a basic action as walking.

"Kids these days..." Mrs. Higurashi muttered as she herself walked down the stairs to see her father and the happy couple waiting for the missing members of the family. Grabbing Souta's stocking, she handed it to him, who was now sitting cross-legged on the floor at Inuyasha's feet. "Go ahead, dump it out!" Mrs. Higurashi smiled as she watched the tired boy dump the contents of the sock out, revealing chocolate galore and random items such as pencils, lifesavers, and a slinky.

Pleased with herself, Mrs. Higurashi preceded to pass out the rest of the presents. "Here, Inuyasha, why don't you open yours next?"

Curiously studying the package, he slit it open with his claw and it was revealed to be a leather dog collar. Inuyasha couldn't help but ask as he held up the offending object, "Ummm, what is that supposed to mean?"

"Just put it on and you'll see..." Mrs. Higurashi explained.

With the assistance of Kagome, Inuyasha managed to buckled the collar around his neck and within moments, he noticed his nails shrink to the size of an average human, his fangs disappeared (which left a vast difference of space between his top and bottom rows of teeth), and he felt the weight on the top of his head to be mysteriously gone. "I'm a human?"

"Yep!" Kagome's mother pipped. "Now you don't have to worry about people seeing your ears when you go out in public...It forces the effects of the New Moon when you're wearing it."

Kagome couldn't get over one simple question. "Umm...Mama, how did you...and err...Gramps, get ahold of this?"

"Well, honey, it's about time you realized something imperative," Kagome's mother elaborated. "We do _live _in a _shrine_; trust me, in regards to this matter, we _do have resources._"

_Scary..._Inuyasha and Kagome thought as they began to remove the simple collar and the latter's mother handed the next present to Kagome.

Pulling the ribbon, she swiftly slid her fingers past the tape and it opened. Kagome extracted the present and saw a new digital camera as well as several rechargeable batteries (from what Kagome counted, eight) and eight gigabytes in memory cards, broken up into four two-gig increments. Clearly the batteries couldn't be recharged back in the Feudal Era, but the multitude should tide her over until she had the opportunity to return.

"Be sure to take lots of pictures when you can!" her mother reminded. She had enjoyed seeing all of the pictures her daughter had brought back of her friends and the land that the city and their shrine now resided on five hundred years ago.

Kagome thanked her mother and handed her the present she had picked out for her. Opening it, she found various ingredients that she hadn't seen before as well as recipes and how to prepare said things. No more dried-demon jerky incidents!

After pleasantries were exchanged, Inuyasha walked over and dropped three small items in Souta's hands: a small pocketknife, a small block of wood, and a carved figurine of bear. Smirking, the hanyou reflected, "Now _that _is what I did when I was a kid, Souta."

Glancing at the items in his hand, he returned the boyish glare as he admired the craftsmanship needed to create a flawless representation of a bear. Inuyasha walked over to his betrothed's grandfather and handed him a small, carved dagger. "For you collection, Gramps."

For the first time, the grandfather gave an approving look to the hanyou, who was to take his granddaughter away from him. It seemed to hold true that the best words of thanks weren't audible, but those of understood actions. His daughter took the opportunity to lay a package, which turned out to be a well-dated history book. That would certainly not go unread for much longer.

Handing the final gift to her son, Mrs. Higursahi watched as the expression on his face grew to that of sheer happiness. "Zombie Killers II!" the boy exclaimed as he examined the exterior of the CD case, showing more than enough Zombie gore in a post-apocalyptic setting.

Inuyasha turned to Kagome and whispered, "Forget about woodcarving, right? They won't be seeing him for days..."

"Yep..." Kagome returned as she laughed at her brother, who was now running up to his room to play his game.

"Well, I guess that's it," Mrs. Higurashi concluded while she picked up the forgotten chocolate and misfit toys (Inuyasha's gift to the boy included) to stuff them back into the stocking for temporary storage.

After their farewells, the couple left for their home away from a house.

**x-x-x-x-x**

"So, what _was _your present to Kagome, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked with a lecherous glint shimmering in his eyes.

After a brief glare, he answered happily, "Why don't you ask her yourself?" Looking over at his soon-to-be wife, he heard a squeal from Sango and a cheer from Shippo as she held her left hand outstretched, showing off the simple engagement ring. "Does that answer your question?" Inuyasha asked with a devilish smirk.

Miroku nodded as his expression widened in shock. Since when was their relationship even stable? And now they're engaged? "What about Naraku?" the monk wondered as he thought about the evil hanyou.

"Ehh, we decided he already knows enough to use it against us anyways..." Inuyasha muttered with the memories of all the various encounters.

Swinging his arm back, Miroku patted Inuyasha on the back and sighed, "After all this is over, we've be domesticated married men, won't we? No more peeping, no more..."

"That's just you!" Inuyasha exclaimed as he smashed him fist into the perverted mind that was constantly insisting that Inuyasha, too, shared the same delusions.

Sango muttered to Kagome with her hand at the corner of her mouth, "Men...But somehow we love 'em, right?"

Smiling profusely, Kagome nodded and bit her lip in an effort to _not _laugh at the sight unfolding before her. Inuyasha-no her fiancé-was so quick-tempered, but that's part of the reason why she loved him...

**x-x-x-x-x**

**Omake time! I've never done one of these before, but I hope it's amusing! :D **

"Okay, Souta, what have you got to tell me?" Mrs. Higurashi looked on her son anxiously for the response.

"He said he wanted to marry onee-chan," the young boy confirmed her suspicions. "Can I have a cookie now?"

With a wide grin, the mother handed her son a cookie and extolled, "You are a good boy, Souta."

Between his bites, he asked with cookie crumbling down his shirt, "How did you know he would come to me, Mama?" Wiping chocolate away from his mouth, he silently begged for another as his hand reached out towards her, palm upward. Another cookie was slid into his hand as soon as the paranoid mother had checked that there was no one to hear about their dealings.

"Woman's intuition," Mrs. Higurashi beamed with pride at the word. _Apparently I'm not rusty yet! _"Tell Inuyasha to come talk to me...No, don't tell him, that won't do...Suggest it."

Souta nodded and wondered as he licked the last bit of chocolate off his lips from the second cookie, "Mama, can I have another cookie?"

"You can have all the cookies you want after those two leave...and after you eat dinner...Do we have a deal?" his mother proposed.

Souta nodded and ran upstairs, determined to complete his mission. Cookies were on the line here!

**End of Chapter 6 : Part 2  
**

**A/n :** Anyone like the omake? :D I would totally let myself be bribed for cookies...Not mom's cookies though; you need an hour of soaking in coffee or milk to pull that off! O.o Anyways, I'll try to update a bit more, writing is the only thing I find fun anymore; so I'm starting to feel a bit more like my old self :) Ahaha, and am I the only one who has an awkward Christmas? I really don't know how to write one that isn't so...organized...So sorry if it seemed...odd. It's a strange holiday for me...Anyways...Tell me what you like, what you don't, where I need to improve (almost lemme know if I erred somewhere silly!)...Questions? Ahaha, now you've read, please review! :D

~Mitzuki-chan


	8. I'm Cold!

***A/n :** Hey, it's Monday! Mitzuki didn't lie-for once! Anyways, I'd like to thank my reviewers and silent favoriters/readers (I'd like to hear from ya'll sometime!), you guys really make me unbelievably happy! This story isn't doing that bad for canon pairings and not an AU, too! :D Sooo I thought I'd be nice and give a fluffy (well kind of...not really...it's light!..and REALLY poorly written...Gomen! Romance is not a genre I succeed in) chappy before I get crazy and hard-core XD Though it starts out kind of weird...Here it is!

***Disclaimer :** Blah blah blah blah blahhh! Does anyone read these anymore? Well if you still do, I don't see why...'Cause I still do not own Inuyasha! Nor do I make any profit off this except practice and experience! And talking with some of my wonderful reviewers :)**  
**

**One Day in Social Studies Class**

**Chapter 7 : I'm Cold!  
**

"Aww! It's so cute!" Shippo remarked as he saw a bunny curled into the midsection of a villager, who was taking a nap under the shade of a tree on the boarder of a village and the young fox couldn't resist the temptation of walking over to greet the thing.

Inuyasha followed the kitsune's movements with massive strides and soon overcame the young fox and commanded, "Shippo, go back, and Kagome didn't you say you felt a jewel shard nearby?" After Kagome confirmed the last of his suspicions, he remarked, "Well, that explains it, this guy's dead...and this rabbit..."

Bending down to pick up the creature in question, Inuyasha recoiled as it came jumping forward towards his face but missed. Its fangs stuck out from its mouth with blood dripping down from the base of its ears down to the front paws, and the group caught a glance that the corpse, whose innards were practically devoured. Meanwhile, the rabbit's eyes, dyed by the crimson of its victim's life source, focused solely on the silver-haired hanyou, determined to make him the next victim.

Launching itself from its position on the ground, it flew past the side of the hanyou's head, leaving a streak of red in the silvered hair of its target. In an attempt to once more kill his target, it quickly rebound and shot towards Inuyasha's throat. In a swift motion, the half demon caught the rabbit by the scruff of the neck. "Where's the shard?" Inuyasha asked while he held on firmly to the rabbit at arm's length as it struggled and attempted to bite his wrist with its sharpened teeth.

"In it's back right paw...It's tainted..." Kagome answered with wide eyes; she had never expected to ever see a killer bunny! Much less one that had successfully killed a man!

Turning his claws into a pair of pliers, he dug the shard out carefully from the thrashing creature and it fell into the hanyou's arms in surrender. He walked back to Kagome and handed the bloodied shard to her. "What do you want to do with the rabbit-demonish thing? It's still alive. And that guy over there?" Inuyasha asked, gesturing to the remains of the villager that were still resting against the tree.

"Well, Miroku and I will go to the village and inform them of this man's death...I mean, we can't just bury him and leave it at that. He probably had family there, right? Besides, they might accuse you, Inuyasha, of killing him," Sango suggested as she glanced back and forth between Inuyasha and the body.

Kagome agreed and added, "Yeah, Inuyasha, we should just over to that river a bit back and wash that blood off of you, and we might as well take care of that rabbit while we're at it...Shippo, you're coming, too."

Parting ways, the two separate groups left to complete their plans.

**x-x-x-x-x**

"Hello," Miroku greeted as he entered the hut the villagers told him was that of their priestess.

Turning from her work, the aged priestess looked up at the monk and the demon slayer with her two-tailed companion. Though the priestess had been seemingly allowed more years than Kaede, her voice still sounded young as she asked the two of their business with her.

The monk took it upon himself to elaborate on the situation, "We'd like to inform you of a death we have come across while we were travelling; we figured he came from this village."

"A death?" the priestess asked while she instantly got up, concern evident in her eyes. "Who...I mean, what'd he look like?"

Taking the chance to answer, Sango continued, "A young man who seemed to have lost his innards...We vanquished the demon that did it." Though it wasn't entirely the truth, it certainly would suffice.

"Oh my!" the priestess exclaimed. "Sei, Sou-kun! Come here!" she called and two teenage boys came running in response to her calls. "Come with me to investigate their claims...They seem to have found the body of one of our own outside the village."

**x-x-x-x-x**

"It's Hashite-san...the single guy who lives in the hut near here," Sei-kun confirmed as he looked down at the corpse.

Sighing, the priestess said, "Well, I suppose we should take him back to the village and have him buried. Sou-kun, carry him please...And you two, thank you for telling us. Is there anything we can do for you?" Miroku shook his head against the idea at the thought of his demonic companions.

The three left with the man's body in tow and Miroku asked as their figures disappeared from sight, "So should we go back to the river to meet the others?"

Sango nodded and the couple started to their destination.

**x-x-x-x-x**

"Okay, Inuyasha, I've taken care of it...Are you ready to come out yet?" Kagome asked as she watched the rabbit hop sorely around; it only seemed to have a small bit of demon blood and it attracted the jewel as well as its ill intentions.

Still contently floating above the water and the streak of blood had long gone, sunk to the bottom of the calm river in its last swirling dance, Inuyasha returned thoughtlessly, "I suppose I should get out..." Looking at the clouds up ahead, he saw their darkening and commented, "It's probably going to snow tonight if it freezes..."

"Well then get out!" Kagome snapped as she watched Shippo hold the rabbit, who was more than content in his arms.

Pulling himself from the freezing water, he dried himself with the towel Kagome had left out for him and donned his full clothing. "I'm out...and dressed...happy?" Inuyasha asked as he walked down and sat next to the woman of his affections, though meager, subtle and blunt they may be.

Kagome sighed as she watched Shippo and leaned on her fiance in high hopes that he would still be warmer than her. Pulling back from his cold touch, she turned her hand to his forehead and muttered, "That's not good..."

"What?" the hanyou wondered while he followed her hands' movements with his eyes.

"Inuyasha," she addressed matter-of-factually. "You're colder than I am!" Her hands felt up the sides of his face to make sure it wasn't a sheer fluke.

Chuckling at her concern and at Shippo, who was still content with the furry thing that tried to him earlier, his shrug was present in his tone. "I'm fine, Kagome, my body temperature _can_ get this low. I mean last year I walked around barefooted in the snow," the hanyou reminded as he removed her hands from his face. "I'm sure you don't want to get cold now...I'll warm up in a little bit anyways..."

Kagome stood up, flushed by his actions, and started digging through her bag and threw a small blanket at his head. Caught by surprise, the hanyou examined the object that was draped over his head, smiled and pulled it down around his shoulders. The hanyou stood up and wrapped his arms around his fiancee, enshrouding her in his presence. Instantly the two warmed up, obviously still nervous and awkward by each other's presence.

"See? No problem!" Inuyasha remarked as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Hey!" two familiar voices called out in the distance. "You guys there?"

As if their very lives depended on it, the two separated out of instinct and Shippo finally looked upwards to see the monk, demon slayer, and two-tailed cat return. Bearing a broad smile, Miroku suggested, "Since we didn't want to get too involved with that village, we saw a small, abandoned hut a little while back with a fire pit...And it is getting dark." Miroku glanced up at the night's sky, almost in disbelief at the difference in daylight hours between summer and winter.

The walk was slow and they could feel the night's chill settling down on them, ready to plunge into its final frozen state. Their minds were scattered in random places, and before they knew it, they had come to the hut that Sango and Miroku previously spotted.

Pushing the door open, they saw that it truly was abandoned, dust gathering on shelves and wooden floors. The space was small it was large enough to suit their purposes and had a fire pit, which was simply situated in the center of the single room with stone slabs separating the wood from the anticipated flames.

Investigating the container she previously thought was a firewood container (at least in its prime), Sango found no such thing inside, nothing but cobwebs and dust. "Umm..." she started to get everyone's attention. "I think me and Miroku should go find firewood before it snows and gets wet..."

"Yeah..." Kagome agreed and Inuyasha nodded, allowing the couple to venture out into the forest.

**x-x-x-x-x**

Sango picked up a third chunk of wood she had found laying on the ground...Nothing seemed wrong about mooching off village people, who had obviously missed a few pieces.

"Sango, I'm cold," Miroku bluntly stated as he reached for some more wood.

"Well suck it up until we get back to this hut and burn this," she retorted as she held up all the fruits of their non-labour.

Leaning over, Miroku kissed Sango on the lips and instantly, the heat that wasn't in her face prior appeared without notice. Once she realized precisely what happened, she hefted the wood, weighing it in her hand, and threw it straight at Miroku's head, who dodged. "I told you!" Miroku screamed. Running from his fiancee's deadly accuracy, the monk, too, warmed up. _Pfftt...Now this is the love I like! _the monk thought as Sango's last and lightest projectile hit his shoulder.

"BINGO!" Sango cried in victory as she saw him fall dramatically, practically admitting his defeat. Picking up the remainder of the mini-war, she smirked in amusement. _Ahaha, I love you anyway.._

**x-x-x-x-x**

"Sesshomaru, what are they doing?" innocent young Rin asked as she saw Miroku's lips touch Sango's.

Glancing between his squinting eyes, he saw the couple in question, who had barely parted lips. Sighing, he hadn't wanted to explain this, but he chose to answer this one simple question, "They were kissing."

"What does that mean?" the girl asked as she swung her hands back and forth carelessly, which kept her rather warm though she now had another layer to wear as well as shoes.

Rubbing his eyes in discomfort, he answered, "It's what two people do when they love each other." His answer, though awkward and blunt, sufficed.

"Oh! So Sesshomaru...?" Rin called.

The demon was slightly irritated by this topic progression and leaned down towards her and asked, "What?"

Stretching to her toes, she gently pecked his chin (which was the farthest she should reach) and proclaimed, "Well I love you Sesshomaru!"

Jakken, who had been watching the whole ordeal fluttered out in hysterics, his words were painfully loud but incomprehensible. Flailing around, he began running around, screaming on his own little soap box like the crazy, old man on the corner, whose words were as verbal as the legibility of his signs.

Instead of getting angry, like he had previously expected of his master, the demon sped past the girl and let one thing utter from his monotonous voice, "We don't have that kind of love, Rin."

"Then what _is _that kind of love?" the girl persisted with her questions, which Sesshomaru refused to answer; quite frankly, he had no clue himself. Why would those silly humans want to give their entirety to the other anyways?

**x-x-x-x-x**

Despite the lack of warmth, Shippo, Kirara, and the bunny (which Inuyasha revealed seemed to only have a small portion of demon blood-leaving it vicious in the grasps of a tainted shard) that the kitsune insisted on taking with until it healed curled up in a corner of the hut and were soon fast asleep.

"It's cold," Kagome moaned, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. Geez, the trouble of being a human, five layers doesn't necessarily make it enough!

Inuyasha walked over and slid down the wall to sit next to her on the dusty floor; the descent wasn't nearly as graceful as he intended, and dust sprang up into the air, leaving the hanyou in a fit of sneezing.

_How can someone...four...sneeze...five...six seven! Inuyasha really does have a sensitive nose! Oh...nine..._

Patting his head in a lame attempt of comfort her sneezing love, the two settled into the shape of the other as they still remain side-by-side. "Hey, Inuyasha, where _do _you want to live?"

"I don't know..." he answered earnestly while he wrapped his arms around her to preserve her body temperature as it was, if not to raise it.

Sighing, she replied, "It's one of those 'I guess we'll figure it out, right?' "

"Yep," Inuyasha murmured as Kagome's scent lulled him.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked with a faint voice.

"Hmm?"

Snuggling in closer, she whispered, "Inuyasha...I love you...Don't leave me, 'kay?"

"Mmm..." Inuyasha inhaled deeply and agreed in a sound.

_Guess I'm content like this with him...we've never been to touchy, but this...I couldn't be happier. 'Spose I should tell everyone about the book tomorrow if something else comes up. Night Inuyasha, _Kagome thought as she fell asleep, drawn in by her love's scent and warmth.

_**x-x-x-x-x**_

**Omake time! :D I'm starting to enjoy these! ^^**

_They think I'm clueless...Always telling me, "When you're older!" It's like a nag that I can't live down! I mean...I'm older than Kagome at least and I'm still treated like a kid! _Shippo sat up and glared at the two couples laying in each other's arms on opposing walls, adjacent from the flaring fire.

_Well...I still don't know quite what's going on! But that's not my point! Well...Sango and Miroku are getting married...and so are Inuyasha and Kagome. So, does that mean that they'll have kids sooner or later? Kids? I can have...siblings! But what if...what if I don't grow any bigger and they trample me with their superior growing-rates? No...I'll just get better at my fox magic and trick them if they slip up. _Shippo determined and an evil aura enveloped the kitsune with his plans.

"Sango," Miroku whispered to the girl next to him.

"What?" Sango murmured still obviously in the land so graciously called "Lala". His eyes scanned the hut and found that nothing was amiss, and his love was irritated by his paranoid movements. "Just simmer down and go back to sleep before I make you!" she threatened while her eyes still remained closed, refusing to acknowledge the reality as anything more than part of her dream.

Giving up in silently, his head found its way back to the top of Sango's head and sleep overcame him promptly afterwards.

_Whatever...I give up!  
_

**End of Chapter 7  
**

**A/n : **Sorry if I'm not technically correct, but it gets dark over here early! And I've only been off the continent once! =and it's not to Japan! Did anyone notice Kagome *forgot* to pick up the jewel shard when she saved Inuyasha a few chaps back? Mainly because I *forgot* to make her take it! And Kagome never told Sango, Shippo, and Miroku about the book...I'll fix that later too! Prediction time! I wanna hear what you guys think I'm going to do next! :P I FINALLY figured it out, and it's a bit different than the original (cause I don't know what the fuck I was trying to do there...seriously...I am wondering who abducted my body and wrote it!) Now that you've read, please review? Reward Mitz-chan for not lying...And for writing TWO omakes in a row...do you guys even like those? This one was kind of lame though! And the chapter certainly wasn't great *doesn't even want to re-read it* Lemme know if I made mistakes. There is no way I didn't make any-especially in this chapter! **  
**

~Mitzuki-chan


	9. The Book's Premonition

***A/n :** Hiya everyone! I would like to thank all my readers and reviewers! You guys seriously make my week! To: **Mimi-chan**, my one anon reviewer this chapter, thank you for guessing! Though... I can't say you're quite right! Anyways, here's the chappy!

***Disclaimer :** I am the proud owner of...this chicken wing? *holds up chicken wing for a second before becoming infatuated with it and eating it* Inuyasha is certainly not mine! Nor is this for any sort of profit! Well...that's not true...I get paid in chicken wings...I **wish **I got paid in chicken wings **as well as** reviews! Well...reviews suffice and exceed just fine :D**  
**

**One Day in Social Studies Class**

**Chapter 8 : The Book's Premonition  
**

_Crisp snow settled on the ground in vast blankets and as we walked, a satisfying crunch was all that was needed for us to proceed forward. Though our fingers were cold and our noses red, we were warm enough to endure the bursts of chilling winds as the swept past us sporadically. Travelling across the lands had been our fate for these three years, but little did we know, we thought snow was to remain pure and white._

_Appearing before us with concealed presence and scent, using the snow-bitten air as his personal screen, Naraku ruptured in his fiendish, bemused laugh and we instantly slid back preparing for what was due our way. This was it, the final battle._

_In her slide, the demon slayer released her weapon and let it fly, only to be led astray by the inadvertently mischievous tempest that amplified upon the malevolent energy. Lost amongst the snow, Hiraikotsu would have to be forsaken for the moment being. Drawing her sword, the only other weapon she possessed that would be of potential use, she held back in case she was needed, sword ready in her hands. _

_The monk shielded his eyes from the flurry and blindly opened his wind tunnel, hoping that the snow could be sucked into his widening curse; meanwhile, the hanyou drew Tetsusaiga and unleashed his first-learned technique, the Wind Scar, and momentarily provided clarity to himself as well as his company. Using the opportunity to our advantage, the hanyou raced forward to clash with his detested counterpart and the miko shot an arrow that was led amiss by the hanyou's slicing attacks._

_Within moments, the snow that had be cast away from sight reappeared in our wakes. Glazing over, our eyes were shocked as normal air met them, and we saw another strike of the Wind Scar slide easily past Naraku in an anticlimactic manner._

_After the smirk reappeared on his face, we all braced for the worst as our vision clouded over for a third time. We heard something squish past us and a spluttering scream erupt from our furthest member: the demon slayer. Without further delay, the monk shouted his warnings and cleared the snow with his Wind Tunnel and ran back his love. While blood ran down her armour from the wound in her stomach, she lifelessly hacked at the tentacle that had inflicted the injury. Before he got there, he watched in horror as his beloved's arms slackened in their movements, fingers loosened, eyes flutter closed, and body fall limp under the spiked appendage she had been struck with just moments prior. Naraku withdrew his entry and chuckled at the sight before him.  
_

_Calling her name in vain, the monk, fox, and two-tailed cat checked to see if she was still alive to no avail. With a spin, Miroku's wet eyes glared at the devious hanyou, whose wicked smile haunted us all. His hot tears met with the snow and her blood as he unleashed his Wind Tunnel without any care to consequence; who exactly did he have to live for anymore? _

_Inuyasha allowed himself to be caught in the winds' wrath and the monk realised as the familiar red came before him. Closing the curse as quickly as he could, the hanyou landed on top of the monk. "Watch him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid!" he commanded the cat and the kitsune, who immediately took their places. It wasn't as though he wasn't saddened by his companion's death, but he was prepared to avenge her with as calm a composure as possible. A single tear caressed his face as he stepped forward, commanding that the miko, too, stepped back._

_The next minutes drudged on in agony as we watched both the red and black blurs battling near us, constantly aware of our dead companion lying listlessly in the snow beside our knees; her crimson life source slipping away onto the pure white, marring it by its very presence. _

_Time passed, we couldn't be as sure if mere moments had passed or hours, but it felt like eternity; a finite Purgatory of white, wind calling in requiem of our fallen friend, unknowing of what dwelt more than arm's length away, and unknowing whether or not our fighting companion remained with us in this questioningly living realm of existence. No sounds entered this domain of mourning, legs to weak to give rise to our bodies, and our frivolousness was baring down on us as we thought of the hanyou fighting by himself. Slipping away into our pallid surroundings, our world was white._

_I had woken up in Kaede's hut in the small cot in the other end of the room. Getting up shakily, I found Kaede turned away from me, and I tapped her on the shoulder. My gut was gnawing on my innards, something wasn't right. "Where is everyone?" I asked though I felt I didn't want the answer; ignorance is bliss? No, no, ignorance is ignorance, denial of the truth; the thought drummed in my head as I followed the aged woman exit the hut solemnly._

_I could feel my heart thump in my bosom in dismay, it ached and panged. Placing my hand on the spot, I attempted to calm it, but I couldn't stop its beating. The snow crunched underneath me, and the sickening feeling returned. My breaths were no longer steady and I followed the aged miko as villagers gathered outside their huts, sending me looks of condolence. Feeling around my left hand, I found his ring still situated where I had left it and grasped onto it as if it were my one lifeline, my one sanity._

_When Kaede had stopped, I unconsciously did as well. I didn't need my sight to know where I was: I was at the Goshinboku, the place I had first met my love. Naively, I expected to look up and cast my eyes upon the hanyou and see his content frame gazing down at me with his affection, telling me that I simply had had a bad dream. No such vestiges appeared before me as I traced the tree's branches to the roots. Jumping at the sight before me, I drew closer to the base of the tree and saw their names engraved into the markers before me. Inuyasha, the monk, the demon slayer, the fire-cat, and the kitsune. They had all died without me._

_The aged miko's voice was startling when I heard it once more, "Inuyasha...he returned here with ye in his arms and tears in his eyes, begging that I save ye at least." Inhaling herself, she fought fruitlessly to inhibit tears from falling as she continued, "He put ye down on the cot, kissed your forehead, placed the complete jewel in yer hands, and slumped down next to ye, dead." Stuttering, she continued, "The village men followed the trail of blood and found the others..."_

_I couldn't believe it; these years had gone by in vain. "Is it gone?" I wondered as I bent down in the snow to kneel besides their graves, be as close as I can be to them while living the rest of my life as a human._

_"Is what gone?" she asked, obviously confused by my bluntness._

_In all honesty, I had no clue as to what I was asking for and I was unable to answer until I had a few moments to think. "Did the monk lose his curse before he died?" My voice didn't shake I had to know this, this was part of my solace, what cruel shreds of it remained._

_"Aye," she confirmed as she glanced down at my position on the ground._

_Wondering, I preceded, "And the jewel?"_

_"Complete."_

_"So the demon slayer's brother is dead as well?" _

_The elderly woman nodded though she didn't seem entirely sure and handed me the completed, blackened jewel and walked towards her hut, leaving me in the snow, knowing that I needed to be alone. I couldn't feel Naraku's hatred as I felt the jewel's smooth exterior for the first time in three years; I felt him. After all he was the last one to touch it with such an intense feeling. I couldn't identify it: desperation, heart ache, hope, and love...Inuyasha...my friends...everyone..._

_Resting my head on the base of the tree, I cried as if each tear would expunge my misery until those tears ran dry and I grew cold. Soon I returned to Kaede's hut and I grabbed Kaede's ink and paper to record all that had happened from memory for days, weeks possibly on end, doing little else. _

_I know that when I wish the jewel into nonexistence, I will return home, and with this past, I wonder what will be different. Will I even have any memory of what had happened here? Maybe it's better that way. Farewell Kaede, my friends, my love, my son. Farewell Kagome.  
_

**End of Chapter 8  
**

**A/n :** And for those of you wondering, no, I do *not* like snow and every time I try to give it another shot, *my* blood never allows it remain white. And yes, I *did* mean to use Kagome's name at the end of the chapter! Does anyone like the style I used in the book's tale this time around? It's fun trying these things out...even if the content is depressing (but I'm not good at light scenes anyways -_- ) Anyways, please take a shot in the dark (and it really might have to be to *totally* figure out my true intentions!) about what's to happen next. And now that you've read, please do Mitzuki-chan the honor of being her lovely reviewer! I respond to all reviewers (unless I miss you by accident), so feel free to mention whatever. :) But now I'm tired, so...time to sleep! *yawns***  
**

~Mitzuki-chan


	10. And The Week of Hell Begins

***A/n :** To my anon reviewer, **guest: **I would love to hear from you when and if you get an account (and if you ever chance to read another chapter of mine!) Your review was very thoughtful and refreshingly, rather insightful. Though you're not quite right, thinking along those lines will get you places! Me (who is also sleep deprived!) read your review and happily went to click the "message" button, but alas, there was no such thing! It would have been an interesting conversation, that I am certain!

Yes, it will be depressing and hopeful and...nuts from this point onwards. I'll try to take it to the next level and see how it turns out! And I would like to thank my amazing reviewers :D for giving me the reaction I wanted out of that dramatic last chappy! Sorry, it came late, but I did warn you guys! Well, I warned my lovely reviewers...well, if anyone cared! Maybe, I was hoping a bit too much, but I wouldn't have felt good if I didn't (and if I perm stopped, I need insurance that MAYBE POSSIBLY someone would yell at me!) And sorry, paired with slight writers' block, laziness, illness (not mine directly, but still my problem), injury, schoolwork, and running around creation starting my club, I'm kinda...screwed. -_-"

***Disclaimer : **Rumiko Takahashi : Inuyasha :: Me : Nothing :)

**One Day in Social Studies Class**

_I know that when I wish the jewel into nonexistence, I will return home, and with this past, I wonder what will be different. Will I even have any memory of what had happened here? Maybe it's better that way. Farewell Kaede, my friends, my love, my son. Farewell Kagome.  
_

**Chapter 9 : And The Week of Hell Begins  
**

**End of Chapter 9**

"So, Kagome, do you think it was a good idea to tell the others about the book and what it said next?" Inuyasha asked from his place on her bed, carefully adjusting his breathing so he wouldn't feel the urge to suffocate in the stagnant, sultry air, confined in her room. That so-called heater, innocently oscillating back and forth, was not helping; but, it was either freeze your ass off outside or grudgingly stay inside. What a lovely choice!

Kagome nodded and explained from behind her fortress of textbooks and stronghold of notes, "Yeah...I just wanted them to know what they have in store. I just hope..." She paused for a moment before inhaling and continuing, "I just hope it all turns out well...And I don't think Naraku will attack while I'm here, it wouldn't be _fun_ otherwise." The last words rang in his eats as he felt the virulence of them course throughout his body, never had he heard such distaste uttered from the lips of his beloved.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Inuyasha asked while he to see into the fort she had sealed herself in.

"I'm fine," Kagome lied through her teeth, but the hanyou couldn't see the strain her reply wrought.

With a sigh, he returned to his comfortable position on her bed and offered, "Well, if you ever wanna tell me..." Soon, sleep overcame him and he drifted off into the land of dreamers.

Without another word, Kagome returned to her studies; she was determined to at least pass with her high school diploma though she obviously had no desire to continue on in university.

**x-x-x-x-x**

"Alright, kids, now here is the study packet." The English teacher counted and dispersed the thick packets. "Reference materials are listed, so please, study! If you can successfully complete this, you should, at the very least, _pass _that part of the test! Don't forget about the audio and oral section, either!" she exclaimed, trying to rile up the studious who had their lives ahead of them. Slumping to her chair, the foreign teacher braced herself for the bombardment of frivolous questions that could simply be answered through the use of that wonderful invention; what was it called again? You know, right? Yes, a dictionary!

Kagome, who had the intention to pass, glared downwards at the rowed sentences before her as if the action would somehow rid them from her sight. This, math, and science would be her hardest classes to conquer; it was true, the Feudal Era didn't have much to offer in those departments of study in comparison to the knowledge they possessed now.

Sighing, Kagome resumed as whispers of, "And hell week has begun," filled the room.

**x-x-x-x-x**

"Ah, I'm so sorry!" Ms. Ito, the social studies teacher, screeched and bowed after she collided with someone while attempting to take the last of her students' papers to grade to the safety of her car; unfortunately, that plan failed miserably. Papers were strewn across the sidewalk in a brilliant medley of disorder and both figures bent to retrieve them.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss," a voice apologized as he handed her the majority of the papers.

The woman looked up to see a man with streaming black hair tied neatly in a tail with a red ribbon, an odd leather collar that loosely hung around his neck, and lavender eyes, which lowered to find their place on her face. "No, I'm sorry," the teacher apologized. "I never pay attention to where I'm going." Upon taking a further look, she asked, "You look familiar, but wait, you don't go here, right? And you certainly don't teach here...who are you?"

"I'm just here to pick someone up," the man answered simply, anxiously looking at the front doors of the school.

Scowling, the teacher persisted, "But who are you?"

Shifting weight uncomfortably between his feet, he reluctantly answered, "I'm Inuyasha..."

"OH! So you're here to pick up Miss Higurashi, I assume?" she coninued with a desire to fully understand the situation; she had her theories about these two, and if there was any chance that these weren't pure fiction created by her hopeful mind, the better.

He nodded and looked at her questioningly.

"I'm her social studies teacher, Ms. Ito, and I suppose you're the one who gave her that gorgeous ring! Ms. Higurashi is one of my favorite students, and it's kind of hard to not pick things up when you see 250 kids every school day," she perked, clutching her papers tighter; she was always a sucker for a love story.

The hanyou neither denied nor confirmed her suspicions, but Ms. Ito took that as a shy yes, lost to her ears upon the will of the wind. Though there was more to ask, she doubt he would do her the pleasure of answering her. Saying farewells, the woman left with a smile to her car and the hanyou patiently waited until his stressed love exited the doors.

**x-x-x-x-x**

"But Sesshomaru, I'm not crazy!" Rin protested as she set down her papers in a huff.

Sighing, the demon continued his argument, "So, you intend to tell me that _my brother_ and _his woman _are here right now?"

"YES! YOU IDIOT!" Rin answered with a mild yell, only ear-spitting to some, deafening to others. "I'm telling you that Kagome came from this time period AND she AND YOUR BROTHER are here RIGHT NOW. First I tell you I think she's in one of my classes, and now I tell you I swear I saw a human version of your brother coming to pick her up!"

With a shrug, Sesshomaru finished with a slightly saddened tone, "Rin, my brother and this 'Kagome' died a long time ago..."

**End of Chapter Nine**

**A/n :** Wow! I am just awful! Not only was that short, but just...awful in general. Anyways...Prediction time! Please? Humor me? And since Mitzuki-chan doubts she'll be able to update on her birthday like she previously hoped, now that you've read, please do her the honor of dropping a review as a present! Thanks for reading so far! **  
**

~Mitzuki-chan


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